Rosegarden Funeral of Sores JosefMick Slash
by Emerald72
Summary: Sequel to From Safety to Where. 2nd Installment in the Eternity series. After 50 contented years together Josef and Mick's relationship is about to be put to the test when a comatose Beth Turner finally wakes up. Josef/Mick Slash
1. Prologue

Title: Rosegarden Funeral of Sores (Sequel to "From Safety to Where")

Rating: ranges from PG13 to NC17

Pairing: Mick/Josef, Mick/Beth (it's Slashfic so don't worry the Mick/Beth stuff is limited)

Warnings: May contain some drug use, Will contain sexual references and explicit descriptions of M/M pairing

Disclaimer: The Characters plus The show, Moonlight, and all it's concepts are the sole property of CBS and the Producers/Writers of said show and characters. This Fan Fiction is intended for entertainment purposes only and I am not profiting from this in any way shape or form.

Summary: After 50 contented years together Josef and Mick's relationship is about to be put to the test when a comatose Beth Turner finally wakes up.

Author's Note: I am currently reworking this piece to improve the quality of the writing. So far the prologue and first five chapters have been completed. The rest of the story is in its original form.

**____________________________________________________________**

Mick's cock was buried to the hilt down Josef's throat just as the phone rang.

"Shit." Mick spoke a heated exclamation, hips undulating in time to Josef's attention.

"Don't answer it." Josef mumbled, his mouth still wrapped around Mick's shaft.

"Hey, didn't anyone tell you it's rude to talk with your mouth full?" Mick teased.

Josef looked up at Mick and grinned "Are you telling me to stop?"

Mick grabbed Josef's head in response and pushed Josef's mouth back down onto his straining erection.

The still insistent ringing of the phone finally managed to penetrate, and ruin the mood completely.

"Shit." Mick repeated the word, teeth clenched in annoyance. "Josef, I'd better answer that; it might be important"

Josef removed Mick's softening penis from his mouth, rolled over onto his back and lay on the bed staring at the ceiling.

"Now what could possible be more important than getting sucked off by the man you love?"

"Nuclear war" Mick ventured jokingly.

"And barring that?" Josef parried back, looking at Mick with a cheeky glint in his eyes.

Mick picked up the phone and hit Josef with a pillow at the same time.

"Hello, this better be good; you have no idea what you've just interrupted." Mick looked at Josef and winked.

"Mr St John." The voice on the other end of the line was well spoken American. "It's the Medical Administrator of the Southgate Nursing Home; we have instructions here to call you in the event of-"

The caller didn't need to complete what they were about to say. Mick sat there for a few moments in stunned silence before uttering a single word

"Beth"

"Barring nuclear war and that." Josef thought darkly, as he rolled his eyes and sighed.


	2. Chapter 1

Mick looked over at Josef, his brow furrowed with concern at Josef's darkened mood."Josef, Are you ok?" he asked.

Without responding to Mick's question, Josef stood up and pulled a suitcase out of the wardrobe and threw it on the bed.

"I suppose I'd better call the airport and have the jet refuelled and on standby" Josef muttered as he collected clothes off hangers and out of drawers.

Mick halted Josef's actions, walking over to grab him firmly by the shoulders and spinning him around to face him.

"Josef, look at me." Mick waited for Josef's gaze to reluctantly meet his. "What's wrong?

"Nothing" Josef responded moodily.

"We've been together for 50 years now so don't tell me nothing because I can read you like a book and something's the matter"

Suddenly Mick felt anger welling up inside him. Why did Josef have to place dark black storm clouds over what was supposed to be a happy event, or so Mick thought. Beth was awake, his Beth...their Beth, the mortal girl who had once been a friend to Josef and more than a friend to Mick.

"Josef, please, this is Beth we're talking out; she's back, my Beth is back."

As soon as the words had left Mick's mouth he instantly wished he could take them back. He hadn't meant it the way it had sounded, but judging by Josef's response, as he shoved Mick to one side and stormed out the room; slamming the bedroom door shut behind him hard enough to rattle the window, he had taken Mick at his word and was none too impressed by it.

Mick ran out after him, running down the long staircase that lead to the marble floored foyer on the ground floor of their residence just in time to see the front door swing open and Josef walk through it without so much as a backward glance.

"Josef!" Mick shouted after Josef's retreating form. "Josef, please I didn't mean it like that. Can't we just talk about this? Fuck!"

Realising at that point Josef wasn't going to just walk back through the door any second; Mick let out a furious snarl and punched his fist through the plaster and brickwork of the closest wall within reach.

Mick was already in the double wide freezer that he shared with Josef, awake and fretting, when Josef finally returned several hours later. Josef climbed into the cold receptacle and stretched out facing away from Mick.

"Josef?" Mick's tone was gentle as he listened to the sound of Josef sniffing, Josef's body trembling as he laid there and tried, unsuccessfully, to bite back the threat of tears.

"Josef? You're crying I can hear you." Mick reached for Josef in the dark and was roughly shrugged off.

"What did you expect, Mick" Josef's response was sharp, voice cracking with emotion. "Or maybe that should be, what did I expect? Guess I really am a consellation prize to you after all"

"Josef." Mick admonished quietly, sliding over and wrapping his arms around Josef's shoulders. "Hold still." He commanded with a smile as Josef tried to wriggle out of the embrace "I'm going to hold you whether you like it or not."

Mick felt Josef's body relax and felt his own growing erection pressing into the small of Josef's back. He reached down between Josef's legs and then felt Josef grab his hand and roughly shove it away.

"Oh for fuck sake, Mick, do you really think I'm in the mood for that." Josef spat.

Mick turned away with an annoyed huff and lay on his back staring up at the plexiglass lid of the freezer.

"My god you can be a moody bastard sometimes Josef."

"Yes, well. I learned from the best didn't I?" Came the snaking reply.

The following evening, Josef awoke to the strains of Scarborough Fair Canticle, and the warm scent of ginger, cinnamon, aniseed and liquorice wafting up from the dining room below. Sniffing at the air, he was transported back to a time when he had regularly partaken of a dish that smelled much the same. Wrapping a silken robe around his naked body Josef made his way downstairs and regarded the scene laid out in front of him with pleasant surprise.

Oil burners filled with the different scents Josef had smelled moments before, were lit around the room. A large centre piece of roses; the exact colour of blood; adorned the large dining table in the middle of the room. In the midst of all stood a broadly smiling Mick, dressed to the nines in a floor length black frock coat and starched white shirt, a long silken scarf tucked artfully into the collar. Mick held a brocade velvet chair out from the table and gestured for Josef to take a seat.

"What's all this in aid of then?" Josef tilted his head; expression filled with curiosity, as he took the seat Mick was offering him and pushed himself closer to the table, placing his elbows in front of him and resting his chin on interlocked hands.

"An apology." Mick responded with a sincerity that made Josef blush, as much as a vampire could, and smile with genuine warmth. "I'm sorry about the music." Mick continued sheepishly "It was the closest to something from the 17th century I could find at short notice."

"Yes, ahem well...we didn't all walk 'round singing Parsley Sage Rosemary and Thyme back then, Mick." Josef arched an eyebrow and grinned.

Mick shot an embarrassed smile in Josef's direction and sat down, pouring a goblet of O positive blood from an ornate Stuart Crystal decanter for the two of them.

"This is child's blood, Mick, you didn't did you?" Josef eyed Mick questioningly as he took a sip of the amber fluid.

"Josef! Of course not, I got it from a contact at the blood bank."

"Well, my beloved, you certainly have gone to a lot of trouble." The line of Josef's mouth tilted in an affectionate smile.

Mick reached for Josef's hand, pressing the palm of it to his lips. "You're worth it", he replied with a simple shrug and stood up, pulling Josef to his feet with him. Moving over to the stereo Mick pressed the touch screen and quickly ran through a list of digitally encoded tracks until he found what he was looking for.

Josef laughed as the sounds of Don't you want me, by Lee Marrow, filled the room and Mick began to dance around with a cheeky grin, singing along to the lyrics.

"You are such a nerd sometimes." Josef snorted another laugh and shook his head.

"I know, but you love me for it." Mick replied with a lopsided grin as he pulled the scarf from around his neck and threw it around Josef's waist, pulling Josef into his space and gyrating against him in time to the beat of the music.

Josef threw back his head and laughed once more, allowing Mick to pull him around the room as they danced together, spinning this way and that in joyous abandon; until they fell in a tangled heap onto the cold marble floor beneath them.

Mick raised himself up on one shoulder and looked down at Josef, using one finger to trace the outline of Josef's features, taking a moment to marvel at the beauty of the man who had been his lover (his beloved) and closest confidant for the last 50 years.

Josef reached up and pulled Mick down towards his waiting lips, their mouths crushing against each others in a kiss borne of a passion that had existed for decades.

Mick opened Josef's silk robe, revealing the nakedness that lay beneath. Running his fingernails lightly over Josef's muscular chest and down his torso he reached Josef's erection and curled his fingers tightly around the shaft. Mick's efforts were rewarded by a snarl of pleasure eliciting from Josef's parted lips, as he began to stroke Josef's length with a slow, steady rhythm of his hand.

Breaking the embrace momentarily, Mick stood up and rapidly shed his own garments and then rejoined Josef on the floor, pressing his naked body to his; revelling in the closeness of skin on skin contact as Josef undulated his hips beneath him.

"Wait here" Mick said suddenly, giving Josef a quick kiss before he jumped up and moved at vamp speed out of the room; returning just as hurriedly carrying a bottle of olive oil he'd retrieved from the kitchen, which they kept stocked for any human guests that might stop in from time to time.

Josef shivered in anticipation as Mick sat astride him and poured the oil over this cock, feeling it seep down between the crack of his arse.

Mick slicked himself with some of the slippery liquid and pushed Josef's legs back to his chest, opening Josef up to him.

"I love you, don't you ever forget that." Mick whispered as he pressed himself against Josef's entrance and gradually entered him, slowly feeding his hardness into Josef's body; until Josef reached down and grabbed Mick's arse with both hands, forcing Mick's cock to push into him as deep as it would go.

"If you're going to fuck me, then fuck me" Josef's words were a desperate snarl and Mick wasted no time obeying his instruction, withdrawing and thrusting sharply back into Josef's passage over and over again; the pace of his movements quickening in time to Josef's increasing vocalisations of delight.

And then Josef was crying out, arching his back and raising his head to sink his fangs deep into Mick's shoulder. Mick felt Josef tighten around him, his own climax tearing through him moments later as he sank his own fangs deep into Josef's exposed neck and growled his way through the rhythm of his own release.

They lay, still joined together, on the floor like that for a few minutes; their ragged breathing slowly becoming more regular and even once again. Moments later Josef turned his head towards Mick and whispered in Mick's ear.

"Apology accepted."

Mick pushed himself up onto outstretched arms and looked down at Josef, a broad smile playing over his features. He lowered himself to give Josef a quick kiss, before leaping to his feet and pulling Josef with him.

"Come on get dressed, we're going out." Mick grinned.

"And where are you planning on taking us?" Josef cocked his head and arched a questioning eyebrow as he allowed Mick to take him by the hand and lead him upstairs.

Mick turned to Josef and smiled wickedly. "The Batcave."

Josef's expression fell curious. The Batcave, named after the original London Goth Club, was known as a Vamp friendly club with an 'anything goes' reputation for scandal.

"Wear that black Gaultier suit with the purple silk shirt, you look hot in that." Mick instructed as he pulled his choice of clothing out of their shared wardrobe and shoved the garments into Josef's arms.

"Ok and you stay like that." Josef replied, gesturing towards Mick's unclad formed standing in front of him "You look hot, in that"

Mick winked at Josef and pulled on a pair of tight black sharkskin trousers and a red silk shirt that hugged his strong frame like a second skin. Noting the way Josef was staring at him, eyes filled with desire, he walked over and pressed his lips against Josef's, the kiss deep and heated, before instructing Josef to, "Hurry up and finish getting dressed."

Arriving at the club just before 1 am, the sounds of Bela Lugosi's Dead by Bauhaus pumping through the speakers, they found themselves ushered immediately past the line up of hopefuls waiting to get inside, The staff recognised them both as Vampires, and therefore they were afforded automatic VIP treatment

"Undead, Undead, Undead." The tall pale emaciated singer of Bauhaus voice sang through the sound system.

"How appropriate" Josef quipped to with a laugh and the raise of an eyebrow.

They made their way up the stairs to the balcony area, surveying the scene below them. Vampires fed openly on freshies; twosomes; threesomes; foursomes and moresomes gyrated suggestively together on the dance floor, in the darker corners more active physical coupling was taking place. A young human female of no more than 15 approached them and offered her wrist, already marked with a myriad of puncture wounds, for them to bite into. Both Mick and Josef politely declined and she walked off in search of more willing company.

Josef spied a freshie he was interested in sampling, judging by her dilated pupils and clenched jaw. He excused himself from Mick and moved over to where she sat, taking her proffered arm in his hand and sinking his fangs quickly into the soft flesh. Josef felt the drug laced blood wash over his tongue and down his throat; flowing through his body and into his brain where it began to have its effects.

In the meantime the music had changed to a more driving techno beat and Mick began to dance, moving his hips and body in perfect time and co-ordination to the beat of the music as Josef looked on, feeling the first stirrings of desire move through him as he watched Mick's movements become more and more suggestive and abandoned as he let the rhythm of the music move through his body.

In the meantime the music had changed to a more driving techno beat and Mick began to dance, moving his hips and body in perfect time and co-ordination to the beat of the music as Josef looked on, feeling the first stirrings of desire move through him as he watched Mick's movements become more and more suggestive, and abandoned, as Mick let the rhythm of the music flow through him.

Josef left the freshie sitting on the couch, he hadn't even bothered to ask her name, and joined Mick; draping one arm over his shoulder and reaching into his shirt to caress Mick's chest as he drew his other arm tightly around Mick's waist, moving against him, matching the rhythm of the beat.

"What's the name of this track?" Josef heard Mick ask as he leaned back against him.

"Don't know, don't care" Josef muttered in reply. "You're making me so fucking horny, I can't think straight."

Josef's words were rewarded by Mick reaching behind and grabbing his arse, pushing himself against Josef's growing erection and grinding himself against it. A patron of the club approached the two of them then and discretely offered Josef a small vial of liquid Amyl Nitrate; along with a tube of lubricant. That, coupled with Mick's suggestive movements against his body, and the effects of the drug coursing through his body, finally caused Josef to lose all semblance of control and public decorum.

Josef gripped Mick's shoulder with one hand, and bent him forward, his other hand reaching around to fumble urgently with the fastening on Mick's jeans. And then Mick's jeans and underwear were being roughly yanked to his knees, and Josef was frantically doing the same with his own, his breath ragged with expectation.

"Breathe." Josef placed the unopened bottle of Amyl Nitrate under Mick's nose, and growled a heated instruction. Before slicking his cock with a hurried application of lubricant, and plunging the full length of himself straight into Mick's passage without further warning.

Mick cried out with momentary shock, hands gripping the metal banister in front of him as Josef withdrew and then slammed back into him, repeating the motion over and over again, the pace of their fucking growing increasingly savage and uncontrolled.

"God, fuck I love you." Josef snarled into Mick's ear, his hand fisting Mick's cock, pumping Mick's length in time with the desperate pace of their coupling.

Moments later Josef was falling into the abyss and sinking his fangs hard into the back of Mick's neck. And Mick was falling with him, his own cock flooding Josef's hand and fingers with pulsations of fluid, fangs sunk deep into the flesh of Josef's wrist.

Mick felt his legs buckle underneath him then, Josef holding him up, withdrawing himself from Mick's body at the same time, and helping Mick over to a nearby couch. They collapsed together in blissful exhaustion, their bodies humming with a series of aftershocks. Josef looked over to where he had just had his cock buried to the hilt in Mick's arse and noticed, for the first time, that their very public display of passion had drawn quite the crowd of voyeuristic onlookers; who even now were looking over at them in anticipation.

"Show's over folks." Josef offered the gathering a sly grin and motioned to Mick that they probably should think about going soon.

Mick took a few more moments to regain composure, and then indicated he was ready to leave, following Josef back down the stairs out and out of the club into the waiting night air.

As they walked through the streets of Salzburg, Mick suddenly halted in his tracks and lead Josef over to a park bench that stood along the way.

"We need to talk." Mick sat down and pulled Josef down next to him.

"Ah." Josef nodded his understanding. "That little display in the club was your way of softening me up wasn't it? You don't usually let me fuck you like that, in complete public viewing, for all to see."

"No...I mean yes...I mean…" Mick struggled to find the right words, and Josef crossed his arms over his chest and shot Mick a challenging look. "I enjoyed it, I..."

"Hmmm well that part is true at least." Josef cut Mick off and flashed a salacious grin.

Ignoring Josef's remark, Mick continued on unabated. "Of course I wanted you, badly." Mick allowed the hint of a low vampiric snarl to come into his voice. "I wanted you right then and there, but you're right I was also hoping it would 'soften' you up, as you put it."

"This is about Beth, isn't it?" Josef sighed as he lowered his head and massaged his fingers against his temples for a moment, as if he were trying to rub the thought from his mind.

"Yeah, yeah it is." Mick responded as gently as possible. "Josef, I don't want Beth back...not in that way at least; I have you now and you've made me happier than I've ever been as a Vampire," Mick reached for Josef's hand and continued on, "but what happened to Beth was my fault and now she's awake and alone and probably scared out of her mind and she needs me, she needs us, as her friends." Mick drew a breath and finished his speech. "I have to go to her, Josef. Please try and understand that"

Josef drew Mick into his arms, wrapping him up in a tender embrace.

"I do understand, Mick. I'll have the plane ready for us by the morning; we'll fly out at dusk."

"Thank you." Mick whispered as he turned his face towards Josef's and placed a grateful kiss on Josef's lips.


	3. Chapter 2

Just as Josef had promised they were soaring into the air on the wings of his private Jet, by dusk that evening. Mick's face bore a worried expression; the fear of the unknown, of what they would find in Los Angeles; marking his features. Josef reached over and took Mick's hand in his, offering him a reassuring wink at the same time, the gesture designed to convey the unspoken sentiment, "It will be ok, I'm here with you always."

Mick smiled gratefully and let out a breath he hadn't realised he had been holding.

"You know I remember when George Cayley first tested his winged glider in 1799." Mick's ears pricked up with sudden interest when Josef glanced out the window and spoke those words, the distraction welcome. Josef looked thoughtful for a moment. "You know I always did wish us immortals had that ability, unassisted flight I mean."

"What do you mean you 'wish' we had the ability, Josef." Mick's tone was teasing, brow raised and an inviting glint in his eyes. "I can make you fly."

The amusement on Josef's face was evident, his smile a challenging, 'Oh really, go on then, I dare you.'

"Got to do something to pass the time." Mick shrugged and then silently added. "And take my mind off god knows what we're heading into."

Mick knelt down in front of Josef, hands resting on Josef's thighs. A shiver of anticipation ran along Josef's spine as Mick slid his hands up to the fastenings on Josef's pants, fingers deftly working at undoing buttons and zipper, releasing Josef from his constraints. Josef had taught Mick how to deep throat some considerable years earlier and Mick wasted no time putting that particular talent to good use. He wrapped his lips around the head of Josef's cock and slowly inched his way down, consciously relaxing his throat muscles as he went, until he'd taken Josef's length to the hilt.

"Oh shit, I think I just grew wings." Josef snorted a laugh and reached down a hand to caress the top of Mick's head. Mick urged Josef to draw his knees up then, pressing a finger, slick with his own saliva, against Josef's hole and penetrating him.

Without thinking, Josef grabbed the back of Mick's head and pushed his hips up at the same time, trying to force even more of himself down Mick's throat. His efforts were rewarded with Mick gagging.

"Sorry." Josef muttered an apology.

"S'ok."

"Mick, it's rude to talk with your mouth full remember."

Mick raised his hand towards Josef and lifted his middle finger in response.

Josef snorted another laugh and then growled with approval as Mick began to work his mouth and tongue rapidly over Josef's length, his finger inside Josef's passage stroking firmly against Josef's prostate, in sync with his oral ministrations.

"Oh shit, oh holy fuck, Mick." Josef arched his back, and then felt himself explode into Mick's mouth, Mick's throat muscles contracting around his shaft as he swallowed Josef's fluid. Josef grabbed for Mick's hand and bit into the flesh of Mick's palm, convulsing with pleasure as he rode out the orgasm tearing through him.

"What about you?" Josef asked when his breathing rate had calmed down enough for him to talk again.

Mick pointed to two healing puncture marks on the side of Josef's hip and showed him his hand, covered in his own seminal fluid, with a wicked little smile.

"Ah, ok then." Josef raised his eyebrows in an accepting gesture, realising he had been so wrapped up in the pleasure of his own climax he hadn't even felt Mick release and bite into him.

"I need to go wash up." Josef heard Mick say to him then, admiring Mick's retreating form as he headed towards one of the Plane's somewhat small, but more than adequately equipped, bathrooms.

"You were right Mick." Josef thought to himself with a smile. "You really can make me fly."

They slept, wrapped up in the nearness of each others embrace, in the double freezer that Josef had had installed on the Jet during one of it's past upgrades, as they tried to conserve their energy for the uncertainty of the future that lay in wait for them, some thousand odd miles below.

Josef could sense Mick's growing restlessness and concern the closer they came to L.A, Mick's handsome features marred by an almost permanently furrowed brow, creased and wrinkled with too much worry. He decided Mick definitely needed a further distraction, something to take his mind off things once again; even if only for a short while.

After several hours in the air the plane finally landed at the Los Angeles Airport, the sharp thud of tires bouncing off tarmac jolting Mick awake. He hurriedly showered and dressed, grabbed his luggage and followed an already prepped and waiting Josef back down to solid earth.

A black limousine awaited them and Josef tossed the driver a hundred dollar bill and instructed him to. "Go slow and take the scenic route"

Climbing into the back seat, Mick settled in-between Josef's legs, stretching his own legs out in front of him, and nestled back into Josef's embrace. Josef's hand worked its way along Mick's neck and shoulders, stroking and massaging, working out the knots of tension it found along the way.

"What are you up to?" Mick asked suspiciously when Josef slipped a hand down his shirt and began to stroke his chest with absentminded purpose.

"Nothing" Josef replied in a tone which suggested nothing definitely meant something.

"What did you pay the driver for, Josef?"

"Nothing" Josef replied again with more faux innocence as he reached for a small keypad and swiftly punched a combination of numbers into it.

Mick watched as the screen between them and the driver began to darken, blocking any unwanted viewing from the front seat.

"_That,_" Mick pointed to the now completely black screen, "is not _nothing_, Josef."

"Oh ok." Josef admitted with a fake air of reluctance, a wanton smile flashed in Mick's direction. "Actually I paid the driver a hundred dollars and told him to go slow and take the scenic route."

"Now why would you do that, Josef Kostan?"

"Why do you think, Mick St John?"

Josef shifted position and moved over Mick, sitting astride Mick's thighs and scratching his nails over Mick's chest as he began to unbutton his shirt.

"Josef, come on. Please, not now." The look on Mick's face was one of genuine reluctance.

"Yes, now; you need the distraction, and besides, I'm horny"

"You're always horny, Josef"

"Well it's entirely your fault if I am." Josef chided Mick, the tone of his voice teasing.

"Damn me and my eternal Vampire hotness, hey?" Mick shot back sarcastically.

"Hmm, something like that."

Josef bent down to run his tongue along Mick's neck, and then paused and sat upright again; hands on hips in a gesture of defiance.

"I am not _always_ horny, Mick"

"Are too."

"Am not."

"Are too."

"Am not."

Mick held up his hands to stop the volley of are too's and am not's.

"What are we supposed to start bitch slapping one another in a moment?"

"Oh honey, you know you'll always be my bitch." Josef declared with an exaggerated fake lisp.

"You better watch it, Josef" Mick quipped back. "Your fag's showing."

It was an old game they had played over the years. Pretending to be gay was somewhat of an amusement, considering as Vampires they didn't feel they had a set sexuality.

"Aw come on Mick, please." Josef flashed Mick his best dazzling smile. "Pretty please? Pretty, pretty please? Look." Josef suddenly pouted and made a pathetic hound dog face. "Puppy dog eyes, you can't say no to the puppy dog eyes."

Mick laughed almost in spite of himself. "What am I going to do with you Josef?"

"Role-playing with leather would be nice."

"Oh well excuse me while I just pull out the whips and handcuff I conveniently carry with me at all times then, Josef."

"Now you're talking." Josef bent his lips to Mick's and placed a brief, but passionate, kiss.

"You're not going to take no for an answer, are you?"

"Nope."

Josef began to gyrate against Mick's lap, grinding his pelvis against Mick's with slow circular motions. He smiled in satisfaction as he felt Mick's cock stiffen beneath him, and Mick's own hips began to move in time with his.

"Oh fuck it." Mick sighed in defeat and pulled Josef down to him, lips and tongue seeking heated contact.

Hands went to buttons then, fingers fumbling with zippers and fastenings as they stripped each other of their respective clothing.

Sensing Mick needed to feel in control, Josef pressed his lips against Mick's ear and whispered to him. "Do you want to fuck me?"

"We don't have any lubricant?" Mick mumbled into Josef's mouth, lips locked with Josef's in a slow, languorous kiss.

"Mick." Josef broke away from the embrace and gave Mick a pointed look. "There's always lubricant." Josef reached behind to produce a black toiletry bag, rummaging through its contents until he found what he was looking for.

"Sunscreen?" Mick regarded the package in Josef's hand with curiosity for a moment, and then shrugged and said, "Sure, ok why not."

"We have used this before you know, Mick." Josef rolled his eyes in mock annoyance and squirted some of the viscous liquid into Mick's hand.

Josef watched as Mick slicked himself with an application of the creamy fluid, anticipation flowing through him when he felt Mick's finger wipe some of the excess around his entrance. Josef turned around then and positioned himself over Mick's erection, letting Mick take the lead and guide him down onto his length.

Once Mick's cock was fully buried inside him, Josef quickly pressed another series of numbers into the remote control keypad, a driving, insistent rhythm filling the cabin of the Limousine. Mick slowly began to rock back and forth with Josef in time to the beat, arms wrapped tightly around Josef's body. Josef leant back against him and arched his neck to Mick's waiting mouth and tongue; Mick's fangs nipping at Josef's soft skin every now and then; causing waves of pleasure to wash over him.

The pace of Mick's movements began to quicken and Josef snarled in response and told him to, "Slow down"

"Hey, who's in control here, Josef?" Mick's voice was a heated whisper and Josef fell obediently silent as Mick stepped up the pace even more, impaling Josef on his cock, his movements becoming increasingly strained and erratic.

"Jesus Christ, Mick. Do you have any fucking idea how good that feels?" Josef twisted his head and snarled into the side of Mick's neck.

The sound of those words sent Mick falling into the abyss, thrusting himself hard up into Josef's body and coming inside him in a series of shuddering pulsations. Mick roared his release and bit deep into the top of Josef's shoulder, and then reached a hand between Josef's legs, pumping Josef's cock with a series of quick firm strokes and bringing Josef over the edge with him. Josef sank his fangs into Mick's proffered wrist and growled his way through his own climax.

"Holy shit." was all that Mick could say, moments later as he struggled to catch his breath.

Josef leaned back against Mick, feeling Mick's erection soften and slip out of him. They stayed like that, wrapped up in the nearness of each others embrace, until they felt the Limousine come to a final halt.

"I think we're here" Josef announced to no one in particular, "better make ourselves decent and go and check in. We've got a long day ahead of us." He added sympathetically as he reached for Mick's hand and pressed his lips gently to Mick's palm.

They checked into the hotel, the process going somewhat smoother than a certain night in Paris 50 years ago; as Josef teasingly decided to remind Mick.

"Shut up Josef" Mick shot back with an embarrassed smile.

Mick's mood darkened suddenly as his mind remembered other, never quite forgotten, occurrences of that time. "I don't want to be reminded of Paris, Josef." he said quietly. "Not that."

"I'm sorry; I didn't mean to stir up old wounds." Josef reached up and ran a tender finger along the side of Mick's face. "Don't forget the good times as well though, Mick, after all it is where you officially became my 'beloved'."

"It's also where I almost lost you." Mick's voice was filled with sadness and Josef drew Mick to him and wrapped him up in a tender declaration of love and comfort.

"But you didn't." Josef tried to reiterate his reassurance.

"I was such an idiot back then."

"Yes, you were, and you're being an idiot now." Josef teased gently. "Come on, we've got time to freshen up before we head out to…"

Josef let the sentence trail off, not needing to complete what he was saying. Mick looked at him and gave a single nod of understanding.

Josef pressed his lips against Mick's, kissing him once briefly, and then took Mick by the hand and lead him to their allocated hotel suite. Once inside Josef shut the door behind him and moved over to where Mick stood looking lost and forlorn in the middle of the room.

"We can worry about unpacking later." Josef's hands began to work their way deftly over the buttons and fastenings of Mick's clothing, his own garments shed at the same time.

Josef guided Mick to the large ensuite bathroom and manoeuvred him into the shower, turning on the water and letting the spray hit them both as they embraced wordlessly under the cleansing liquid.

"Josef?" Mick asked moments later in a still small voice.

"Hmm, what?"

"You know I love you, don't you?"

Josef laughed and placed an affectionate kiss on Mick's lips. "Only for about the last 50 years, Mick."

An uncomfortable silence hung in the air between them before Mick responded in a pathetic tone of voice. "You didn't say it back to me"

"Do I have to?"

"Yes." Mick's reply was sulking, his expression sullen.

"Oh look, it's moody Mick." Josef arched a teasing eyebrow as he held Mick at arms length, and regarded Mick's face. "Hello moody Mick".

"Shut up Josef."

"That's the second time you've told me to shut up today, Mick" Josef continued to gently tease as Mick looked down at his feet, eyes averted.

Josef reached up and took Mick's face in his hands and turned Mick's gaze towards his.

"How about I just show you instead" Josef whispered to Mick then, as he pulled the both of them down to the tiled floor below; entering Mick tenderly with the aid of the hotel's complementary shampoo.

They made love slowly, languorously; gradually building their passion as the spray of the shower beat down over Josef's back, snarling together in mutual release and sinking their fangs into each others flesh.

"Mick." Josef raised himself up onto outstretched arms a moment later, and looked down at Mick, their bodies still joined as one. "I do love you; you don't need me to tell you that. Now are you going to stop being an idiot." he added, drawing the line of his mouth into a chiding smile.

"Yeah." Mick responded sheepishly.

An hour later they arrived at the Nursing Home where Beth had lain for the past 50 years, cared for by a small number of staff who had been discretely paid for the privilege of knowing the exact nature of the patient in room 237.

A petite Nurse, with sparkling green eyes and long red hair, greeted them warmly in the corridor. Josef returned the greeting with equal warmth and familiarity.

"Hello Saoirse, it's been a while."

Mick shot Josef a questioning look

"Saoirse and I go back a long way." Josef started to explain and then hurriedly added. "Not like that."

"All the way back to 1872."

"You mean you're a...." Mick didn't have a chance to complete the question.

"Well of course I am silly, what else do you think I'd be if I've been in existence since the 1870's?" Saoirse rolled her eyes and spoke in a lilting Irish accent.

Mick raised his hands in a gesture meant to convey a sentiment of 'yeah I guess that was a stupid question to ask'.

Saoirse smiled and offered Mick a polite nod in response, and then lead them down the long corridor to the room where Beth lay.

"She's heavily sedated Mr St John, she probably won't recognise you."

"Well that's something at least." Josef placed a comforting hand on Mick's shoulder and indicated that he should go in alone.

Mick hesitated, before taking a deep breath and stepping over the threshold, straight into a past that confronted him head on with one mind numbing blow. He looked down at the small figure lying almost motionless on the crisp white sheets of the hospital bed and let out a gasp, his hand flying up to his mouth as Beth turned her head towards him and opened her eyes.

Beth stared up at Mick, glassy eyed, and un-registering through her drug filled haze. At that moment, all the regret and guilt and remorse at what he had done all those years ago, washed over Mick in one crashing torrent of emotion. A single thought rose unbidden in his mind.

"Don't fall in love with her again."

They spent the car ride back to the hotel in relative silence, Mick staring out the window of the Mercedes Coupe that Josef had hired to get them around the city, struggling to process what he had just felt and experienced back in Beth's hospital room.

"How was she?" Josef ventured carefully when they were a few blocks away.

"Sedated." Mick muttered in monosyllabic response.

Arriving at the hotel, they quickly made their way up to their room. As the door closed behind them the totality of all the pain and emotion of a past confronted, hit Mick with full force.

Mick flung himself towards Josef; knocking Josef halfway across the room, and slamming him into the far side wall, as he covered Josef's face and neck with rabid kisses.

"What are you planning to do for your next trick, start licking my face and humping my leg?" Josef quipped as he pushed Mick away and then held him at arms length, surveying Mick's face and the depth of emotion he found there. It wasn't desire; it was something far darker and rawer.

Josef knew what Mick wanted and he would give it to him simply because he loved him, and if Mick had asked him for the moon Josef would've probably reached up into the night sky to try and pull it down for him.

With a sudden furious roar, Josef's face changed from its human facade to that of a full predatory Vampire. This wasn't the face of desire or hunger; it was the face of domination and fear. And Josef threw Mick to the floor below them and tore at his clothes, rapidly shedding his own at the same time.

As Mick lay there beneath him, naked and shivering violently with anticipation, Josef spat into his hand and quickly slicked his cock with saliva, before pressing Mick's legs roughly back against his chest and entering him with one sudden sharp thrust.

Mick screamed and bit down on his lip, tasting blood, as Josef began to pound into him.

"Harder." Mick moaned desperately, bucking his hips frantically and urging Josef on.

Josef withdrew his full length and then plunged back into Mick's body, battering Mick's arse with his cock. Mick cried out again, back arched as he tried desperately to find redemption through brutality of passion.

And then Josef was throwing back his head, roaring with triumphant release, and sinking his fangs into the flesh of Mick's chest. He reached down at the same time and grabbed Mick's hardness, assisting Mick to his own snarling shuddering climax, feeling another wave of pleasure rip through him as Mick sank his own fangs into the muscle at the top of Josef's shoulder.

"Don't ever leave me." Mick clung to Josef's neck, and pleaded with him in a half strangled whisper moments later.

"What the-?"

"-Please Josef"

"Mick, I've been with you for 50 years, what on earth makes you think I'm going anywhere? What the hell's gotten into you?"

Josef's own mind immediately answered the question for him.

"Beth!"

At that moment, as Mick laid trembling beneath him; listening to the strains of Drowning by Stereophonics floating up from the suite below; Josef was sure he had almost never hated anyone as much as he hated Beth right then and there.

_I don't know whyI don't know what is wrong  
Oh no  
is karma gonna get me?  
At times that's all I see  
It's not real_

_Wanna feel  
Wanna feel, like I did before_

_Mornings I can't breathe  
Wave crashes over me  
And drowns me  
Mind's running rings around me  
It takes me time to see  
What is real?_

_Wanna feel  
Wanna feel  
Like I did before  
Like I did before_

_I'm drowning  
I'm drowning  
I'm drowning  
I'm drowning_


	4. Chapter 3

"Are you here to pick up Ms Turner?" Mick heard the middle aged African American nurse asking him.

"Yes, Josef…I mean, Mr Kostan, and I have discussed it, and we both agree that she needs to…" Mick looked down at the ground, expression awkward.

"To be with her own kind, Mr St John?"

Mick gave a brief nod in reply.

"It's ok Mr St John." The nurse reached out and placed a reassuring hand on Mick's arm. "I know what she is, and your words don't offend me."

Mick tried to offer a somewhat embarrassed smile, only to find himself waved off with good natured dismissal.

"We've sedated Ms Turner heavier than usual." The nurse explained to Mick then, shifting her hand to rest gently on Mick's shoulder. "To keep her calm during the flight"

"Thank you." Mick nodded again and smiled his gratitude.

"Now if you'll just come with me." The nurse started to move off then, hands fumbling in the pockets of her uniform. "We'll get you to sign some paperwork, and have one of the nursing support staff drive you to the airport."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Six hours earlier Josef and Mick had indeed discussed the issue of Beth, although whether or not they were in agreement was a matter for debate.

"Josef, she's alone right now; she doesn't know what she is or how much time has passed. Don't you think she needs to be with familiar company, the company of her friends?" Mick had pleaded his case, after Josef had picked Mick up off the floor and carried him over to a couch; sitting Mick down and asking him point blank about 'the situation', as Josef put it.

"Her _friend_ Mick, not friends plural." Josef's reply was direct, his expression pointed. "And you turned her into what she is now, or have you forgotten that?"

"Of course I haven't." Mick glared at Josef and then averted his eyes, throat bobbing as he swallowed back a tide of emotion. "And that was a cruel thing to say."

Josef saw the hurt reflected in Mick's eyes, and softened immediately. Mick was going to have his way again, he always did, and Josef always let him.

"I wonder how high the moon actually is?" Josef muttered under his breath

"Beg your pardon?"

"Nothing." Josef shook his head, and then traced the back of his hand along the side of Mick's face. "Let's just go get Beth and head for home, I'm growing tired of this city again now anyway."

And with that it was settled, except for the fact that Josef had clenched his fists and dug his fingernails into the palm of his hands hard enough to draw blood, as he spoke the part about taking Beth with them.

Seven hours later the three of them boarded, or rather two boarded and one was carried onto Josef's private jet. They rose into the stratosphere, just one big happy family, together again.

Or so Mick desperately tried to convince himself.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Landing back in the familiar surroundings of Salzburg, Mick began to relax, believing for the first time that maybe everything was going to work out after all.

"Home." Mick thought, as the Limousine from the airport sped them towards the home he shared with Josef. Mick glanced over at Josef, noting the distracted look on Josef's face.

"You ok?" Mick asked.

"I'm fine Mick; I'm just a little tired. Probably need to feed soon or something." Josef tried to smile as convincingly as possible, and reached over to take Mick's hand in his.

"We'll be home soon." Mick smiled back and gave Josef's hand a quick, reassuring squeeze.

"Home." Mick thought to himself once again. _Home_ was with Josef now, had been for the past five decades, wonderful decades Mick hurriedly reminded himself, but time was _home_ was with Beth.

Mick pushed such thoughts to the back of his mind as the Limousine drove up to the front of the house, and Josef assisted him in carrying an unsteady, non compis mentis Beth inside.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

They placed Beth on the sofa, propping a few pillows under Beth's head, lolling unsteadily on her shoulders, and left to her rest for a few hours.

Until the effects of the sedatives she had been given wore off enough for Beth to sit up, recognise the unfamiliarity of her surroundings, and speak her first words in fifty years.

"Where am I?"

Mick approached cautiously, sitting on his haunches beside her, trying to convey the sentiment that Beth was safe with him through his expression. Josef stood behind him and rolled his eyes, thinking for the moment he was going to be sick.

"You're in Salzburg." Mick chose his words carefully, his tone gentle. "Something happened to you, you were...I mean, you've been…"

"You've been in a coma for 50 years, you've just woken up; welcome back to the world by the way. Oh and we're both Vampires and so are you." Josef rapid fire finished, and flashed Mick his best _'damn I'm good, don't you just love me'_ smile .

If looks could kill, Josef would've been lying on the ground minus his head at that very moment.

Mick shot cold daggers at Josef and hissed at him to. "Shut up."

"What?" Josef rolled his eyes and twisted his face in annoyance, and then remarked with forced breeze. "She's gotta find out eventually; best to just get it over and done with. Kind of like ripping of a bandaid really fast, it hurts less that way."

"You're kidding right, this is some sort of joke? Don't tell me you actually believe this?" Beth stared up at them, a bewildered look on her face.

"It's true, Beth." Mick told her, still trying his best to keep the tone of his voice as light as possible.

"What? That you're Vampires? Yeah right." Beth snorted a laugh, and then looked at Mick, a distinct note of defiant disbelief passing over her features.

Mick very gradually, almost imperceptibly, began to extend his fangs.

"Oh for fuck sake, Mick. Remember the bandaid."

Before Mick could stop him Josef shifted towards Beth, covering the distance in a split second as he moved at Vampire speed and sat beside her, flashing Beth the true image of the Vampire beneath his mortal appearance.

"No." Beth whimpered, reeling back in terror, and then leapt up from the couch and stood like a frightened animal, ready to bolt at any moment. "Ok. Ok this isn't really happening." she worked desperately to convince herself. "It's just a dream and these are just figments of my imagination. All I have to do is pinch myself, and I'll wake up, and this will all just not be happening."

When a sharp, twisting pinch to the soft flesh of her forearm did not have the desired effect she hoped for, Beth's hand flew to her mouth and she ran, screaming from the room.

"Well, that went well." Josef clapped his hands together, and smiled at Mick gleefully. "Don't you think so my love?"

"Shut up Josef" Mick snarled, before he turned and ran out after Beth.

"Yes, _shut up Josef_, seems to be a bit of a theme around here lately. Josef called after him bitterly.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mick followed Beth through the house at mortal speed, not wanting to frighten her with a display of Vampiric ability anymore than what Josef already had.

Mick caught up with her just in time to see Beth disappear behind the door of the downstairs bathroom.

"Beth?" Mick rapped his knuckles softly against the wood of the door. "Beth, come on. No one is going to hurt you; we look out for one another in this...group...of what we are."

That wasn't entirely true but Mick figured Beth didn't need to know that at this stage.

"Beth?" Mick called out to her again, and knocked more firmly this time, before pushing half his weight against the door, and knocking it halfway off its hinges.

Beth was nowhere to be seen, and the bathroom window was wide open.

"Nice one Josef." Mick glared at Josef, his expression furious, as he walked back into the lounge room to find Josef reclining in his favourite chair. "You've really outdone yourself this time."

Josef stared at him, a 'what on earth could I possibly have done wrong' look on his face.

"Don't give me that look Josef; you know perfectly well what you've done." Mick folded his arms across his chest, stance challenging.. "Thanks to you, Beth is now missing, and heading god knows where to do god knows what. She needs to feed soon you know, and what happens if she reveals herself to the wrong person. Did you ever think of that?" Mick drew a breath, and spat in frustrated anger. "You know jealousy is a very unbecoming emotion on you, Josef Kostan."

"And emotional infidelity doesn't suit you either, Mick St John." Josef shot back.

"Emotional infi-what-now, Josef?"

Mick started to say something else in sheer exasperation at the way Josef was behaving, deciding instead to just walk away, heading for the front door.

"Where are you going" Josef called out to him.

"Where do you think I'm going, Josef?" Mick turned to face Josef then, fists clenched by his side, and expression furious. "I'm going to look for Beth. Before she does something reckless and endangers us all."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Beth wandered aimlessly through the unfamiliar streets of Salzburg, her mind reeling as she tried to process what she had just witnessed. Somehow she managed to stay just a few steps ahead of Mick. Mick's own heightened emotional state making it difficult for him to separate the myriad of smells surrounding him, and hone in on Beth's scent.

Beth picked up a discarded newspaper lying on the ground along the way, and read the date printed on it. June 15th 2058.

Letting the paper slowly slip from her fingers she continued on, catching her reflection in the reflective surface of a shop window. She turned, staring at the image looking back at her, and probing her youthful face with her fingers. She was still young.

Beth remembered being in her twenties in 2008; one of many fragments of memory that had begun to return to her in fits and starts, as the veil of fifty years slowly began to lift. But if the date on that newspaper was correct she should be in her 70's by now. Yet her outer appearance remained eternally unchanged.

Running her tongue experimentally over her teeth, she felt the first hint of razor sharp canine fangs and realised she was suddenly gripped by a desperate hunger she had never felt before. Ever the logical one she tried to rationalise this newfound knowledge and experience, talking to herself in whispered tones.

"Ok. Ok, you're a Vampire; so now what do Vampires do? What do they need?"

As she continued her aimless sabbatical, searching for direction in the wilderness haze of confusion she found herself in, she stumbled across one of the many local street junkies that haunted the back ways, and alleyways of Salzburg.

The thin boned and ragged youth, hair unkempt and clothes unwashed, was sitting slumped against the wall. Eyes closed, head nodding forward every so often as he languidly rubbed the palm of his hand down his nose and back up again.

"Blood, Vampires needed blood. And how did they get that blood? They bit into a persons neck and sucked it out." Beth remembered snatches of movies and pages of books.

Vampires were strong, that much Beth understood. But she didn't yet know how strong she was, and she couldn't risk trying to take someone who had their wits about them.

She approached cautiously, moving catlike, ready to strike her chosen prey. Bending over the boy, who couldn't have been more than 17, she grabbed his head and twisted it to one side, exposing his neck to her fangs. She bit into his flesh, clumsily, and began to draw the hot crimson liquid into herself.

Somehow in the back of her mind Beth knew, or remembered, that Vampires didn't need to feed this way. She couldn't explain how or why she was actually aware of that fact. Along with the effects of the coma, her mind seemed to have set up a protective wall around itself. Just like when she was a child.

"Just like when I was a child." she repeated to herself, and the sudden memory of that bought the walls crashing down around her.

Mick rounded the corner and found her crouched, shaking, in the narrow alleyway.

"You...did this...to me." Beth chattered uncontrollably.

"Yes." Mick hung his head, shamefaced at the realisation of Beth's recovered memories.

"You and Josef?"

"No, not Josef, just me."

"But there was something between the two of you, wasn't there?"

"Yes. Beth look we can't stay here, we can't be seen like this." Mick took a tissue from the pocket of his jeans and cleaned the blood that had spilt over her face in her clumsy attempt at feeding. He lead Beth away from the scene of the crime; making a hurried call to the local Cleaner on the way.

"Is there still _something_, Mick?" Beth questioned, as they retraced their steps through the streets of Salzburg.

"Between us, or between me and Josef?"

"Both." Beth's reply was simple.

"Yes, with Josef at least. The other, I don't know, I don't think so"

She nodded in silent consideration of the words she had heard Mick speak.

"We were in love once though, Mick, weren't we? I remember that."

"Maybe we were." Mick looked uncomfortable, eyes purposefully averted from Beth's gaze. "Or perhaps we just thought we were."

"And with you and Josef? Is that love?"

"Yes." Mick decided the and there he needed to keep his answers as basic and to the point as possible.

"How long for?"

"Fifty years."

"So you got together whilst I was..." Beth's voice cracked, and trailed off

"Yes"

Beth fell silent once again, until they reached the threshold of the house Mick shared with Josef

The house, and the life, they now shared as lovers, Beth reminded herself.

"Mick, I don't think I can go inside, not yet." Beth shifted uncomfortably, tracing circles on the footpath beneath her with her foot, her reluctance evident.

"That's ok; we can just sit out here and talk?" Mick furrowed his brow, and waited for Beth to reply.

"That's not what I mean, Mick. I don't want to...I can't stay here, not with you and Josef. I think it'd be best if I went to a hotel."

"Beth? How are you going to look after yourself? You can't just go attacking random strangers in alleyways every time you want to...feed." Mick's expression fell incredulous.

"Come on Mick, I have a bit more of a...idea...than....tha...."

Beth's voice trailed off, head falling forward, and eyes closing. Her mouth hung open, and then she suddenly snapped back upright and absentmindedly scratched at her face and body.

"Shit, great. Mick thought. "She's fed on one the local junkies. Just what we need."

Too wrapped up in his own concerns, Mick realised he hadn't noticed Beth's condition before now. "Well no wonder you seemed to be so calm about everything." He mumbled, half to himself.

"Hmm what." Beth's voice croaked, eyes closing, hand rising to her face once more, freeze framing in position halfway.

"Never mind, let's get you inside."

Mick lifted Beth up and carried her through the door. He at her down on the couch as she began to retch violently, vomiting copious amounts of dark blood at his feet, splashing the bottom of his pants with a sticky mess of fluid.

"Sorry." Beth muttered and looked apologetic. "I feel really sick."

"It's the effects of the heroin in your system." Seeing Beth's confused look, Mick quickly explained. "A Vampire, drinking the blood of someone under the influence of drugs, also feels the effects of those drugs."

"Oh...." Beth started heaving again, violently, before she could finish.

"I think I better get you a bucket." Mick moved off in search of a suitable receptacle for Beth to be sick in.

"Hurry" she managed to blurt out just as she splattered the floor at her feet with another torrent of vomited blood.

Mick returned carrying a small plastic pail which he placed alongside her.

"How the hell do people get addicted to this stuff?" Beth asked, as she continued to dry retch.

"Apparently it gets better, after the first few times...or so I've heard."

"I don't think I really want to find out."

Beth gave a tiny note of laughter and felt another wave of nausea hit her. When it had passed she looked up at Mick.

"You and Josef? Are you, I mean...do you really love him, Mick?" Beth's tone was slow and distant, expression hesitant.

Mick considered how best to respond, and decided simple and honest was still the best approach.

"He's my world now, Beth."

Beth took a few moments to assimilate this information, before she smiled wanly and told Mick she'd like to be left alone for a while. She needed to get some rest.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mick left Beth lying on the couch, eyes half closing as she nodded under the effects of the opiate coursing through her system.

Making his way upstairs, Mick found Josef in the drawing room; reclining back in one of the large Chesterfield armchairs. A glass of malt scotch whiskey dangled nonchalantly from Josef's hand, as he tried unsuccessfully to look far more composed, and confident, than what he actually felt.

"My world." Mick thought, leaning in the doorway and looking down at the man who had been his partner, and the love of his life, for the past fifty years.

Josef looked up, and offered Mick a simple smile.

Mick walked over to Josef, and took the glass of scotch from his hand, placing it on the ground next to the chair. Climbing onto Josef's lap, Mick wrapped his arms around Josef's neck and resting his forehead against Josef's

Josef hesitated for a moment, and then raised his arms slowly, drawing them around Mick's waist. He closed his eyes and concentrated on breathing in the scent of his lover, his beloved, feeling the closeness that he shared with Mick.

"Just tell me why, Josef?" Mick felt Josef's body tremble slightly. "Why did you have to act like that?"

Josef had been about to say something incredibly sarcastic and bitter, but stopped himself when he saw the sorrowful look in Mick's eyes.

"You're not the only one who gets insecure sometimes you know, Mick."

"I'm sorry." Mick's tone quietened. "I should've been more understanding."

"No, Mick, you were right and I was jealous." Josef let out a reluctant breath, and brushed a hand down the side of Mick's arm. "I acted like a pompous ass, as usual." Josef paused for a moment, fingers shifting to fumble distractedly with the buttons on Mick's shirt. "So, how is she?"

"She's sleeping."

"Does she remember anything yet?"

"Everything" Mick swallowed, and nodded his reply.

"And about us, what have you told her" Josef ventured cautiously.

"That you're my world."

Mick's features were etched with sincerity, and for a moment Josef looked genuinely touched.

"My world." Mick repeated, mouth pressed softly against Josef's.

Mick pulled Josef off the chair, and down onto the floor. Lying alongside him, mirroring Josef's position, Mick began to work on removing Josef's layers of clothing. Hands and fingers stroking along cloth covered, and then naked flesh, lips seeking contact. He heard Josef moan, a sound like contentment. Mick quickly shed his own clothes and pressed his body against Josef's, drawing him close, reaching a hand down to encircle Josef's cock, hardening under his attentions.

Mick wrapped his fingers around Josef's shaft and began to stroke, teasing Josef's length with slow, rhythmic movements of his hand. Josef moaned again when Mick bent his head to circle one of Josef's nipples with his mouth, flicking lightly across it with the tip of his tongue.

Mick increased the firmness of his grip on Josef's erection, and began to vary the tempo of his strokes. Covering two fingers with saliva he pressed them against Josef's entrance and pushed upwards, entering him

Mick taunted Josef's body, fingers penetrating, stroking against Josef's prostate. Hand working over Josef's cock. He bought Josef as close to the edge as possible, and then left him paused there on the brink again, and again.

"Mick, for god sake." Josef's voice was a strained whisper, pleading.

Fangs extended and eyes closed in rapture, Josef arched his back and began to pant Mick's name repeatedly, delirious with need and desire.

Mick increased the rate of his attentions, hand moving faster now, fingers stroking harder. Josef bit down on his lower lip, and twisted his head from side to side, trying to keep from screaming out loud.

"Let yourself go." Mick whispered to him and that was all Josef needed to hear. Body tensed and head thrown back, Josef roared his release. Mick lifted Josef up and held him close, as Josef shuddered and snarled in his arms and sunk his fangs into Mick's neck.

When his orgasm had finally subsided, Mick laid Josef back down again and covered his face and mouth with warm, tender kisses.

"You don't need to worry about anything, Josef" Mick said then. "I'm here, and I love you, and Beth isn't going to change that."

Even through the blissful strains of his afterglow, part of Josef wasn't entirely sure he believed those words.


	5. Chapter 4

Sometime around dawn Mick crept downstairs to pack a few bags of ice around Beth's sleeping form.

"Thanks. What time is it?" Beth's voice, sounding distant and sleep filled, called out to him just as he turned to head back upstairs.

"It's just near dawn. We need to get some rest." Mick walked back over to the couch where Beth lay, and sat on the floor beside her. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to wake you."

"You didn't." Beth stifled a yawn.

"Oh ok. _Great conversation skills St John._" Mick berated himself silently. "So can I...uh, get you anything?"  
_  
"What like my life back?"_ Beth kept her bitterness to herself, answering instead with a polite, "No that's fine. Thank you"

"You know if you need to talk about anything, I'm here. Ok?"

Mick's words held a note of sincerity, and again Beth found herself having to bite back the urge to respond with the amount of bitterness she felt.

_"What like you were there for me when you turned me into a monster?"_

"I know, thanks Mick." Beth forced a smile and then stood up, stretching the kinks from her body. "Actually I might just go take a walk, or something, get some fresh air."

"Beth? If you need to...you know _feed_, there's plenty of blood in the fridge."

"No. No it's ok; I mean I don't need that. Just a walk and some fresh air, before the sun's fully up."

"Ok then, just...be careful ok?"

Beth waved a dismissive hand at Mick's concerns, and Mick watched her make her way over to the front door, and out into the weak rays of the morning sun, just risen.

"Was that Beth?" Josef asked as they lay alongside one another in the freezer.

"Yeah, she just wants to get some fresh air, before the sun comes up."

"You're worried about her aren't you?"

"Of course I am." The apparent concern in Mick's voice sent waves of irrational fear through Josef.

"You can't change what's happened Mick." Josef suppressed his rising tide of emotion and tried to keep the tone of his voice as even as possible.

"It should never have happened in the first place though, Josef." And then Mick added a dagger that pierced right through Josef's heart. "None of this should have happened."

"Right, well if that's the way you feel, maybe I should just go sleep downstairs." Josef clambered out of the freezer in a storm of indignation, leaving Mick to call out after him.

"Josef? Josef get back here, I didn't mean it like that."  
_  
"No, Mick, there's a lot of things that you haven't meant lately." _

Beth staggered in a few hours later. Judging by the way she kept pausing every so often, as if she was freeze frame stuck in mid motion, it was clear to Josef that she was far from sober. Part of him wanted to rip the dumb bitch's head clean off of her shoulder, and dash it against the wall. He had an idea that might just upset Mick though, and as hurt as he was by Mick's earlier words Josef just couldn't do that to him.  
Instead he merely regarded Beth for a moment and then sighed, muttering under his breath. "I'll call the Cleaner."

"Was that Beth I just heard come in?" Mick shifted closer to Josef's returned form lying next to him in the freezer once again.

"Yeah" Josef's reply was a barely discernible mumble.

"How was she?"

"Wasted." Josef tried to keep his tone matter of fact, but Mick could hear the edge of bitterness to it.

"Shit."

"Yeah it's all gone to shit, hasn't it Mick."

Mick listened to Josef's quiet hiccups of breath in the dim blue glow of their icy receptacle, the way Josef seemed to be swallowing so hard to keep from crying completely. Mick draped one arm across Josef's chest and nuzzled his head into Josef's shoulder.

"It hasn't gone to shit, Josef." Fingers reaching up to gently grip the line of Josef's jaw, Mick turned Josef's face towards his. "Listen to me, alright."

"Yeah, I'm listening." Josef sighed, and rolled his eyes in a gesture of reluctant acceptance.

"I'm sorry about what I said before, ok? I really didn't mean for it to come out sounding the way it did."

"Yeah, well. It did." Josef cut in, the tone of his voice conveying the hurt he felt.

"I'm not sorry we got together Josef, I've never been sorry about that. I love you. I've never loved anyone as much as you or been as happy…"

"…But?"

"But Beth was my fault and I...."

"Can't handle the guilt so now you want to try and erase regret. And what if you can't Mick?" Josef challenged Mick then. "Have you thought of that? What if you can't just make everything better again?"

"I can at least try." There was a note of determination in Mick's voice. "And it would mean a lot if you'd try with me, please?"

Mick heard Josef's sharp exhalation of breath, and then Josef's lips were brushing softly against his own.

"For you, Mick? Anything."  
_  
"Anything."_ Josef repeated silently, as he watched Mick slowly slip into a deep sleep. "How the hell did I manage to fall so far in love with you, Mick St John." As if that was a question Josef only just now needed to ask after five decades, Beth's re-entry into their lives was affecting them far more than either one of them cared to admit out loud.

Josef awoke the following evening to the sensation of Mick's lips working their way along the shaft of his erection.

"What are you doing?" Josef's voice was encrusted with layers of sleep.

"Making up for last night" Mick hesitated for a moment, and then quickly shifted back up along Josef's body, pausing to place a brief kiss on Josef's lips. "I'm sorry I upset you."

'Yes, well, stop doing it then." Mick's expression fell, and Josef quickly followed up with a low snarl fangs bared, and eyes flashing to ice blue. "And start fucking me instead."

Mick didn't need to be told twice. In a flash he'd pressed Josef's legs back to his chest, and was on the verge of entering him, prompting a pointed reminder from Josef.

"Uh, Mick? The freezer's a little uncomfortable; we did go buy a perfectly good bed for this, and some lubricant might be a nice idea as well."

"Oh right, yeah, sorry."

They moved over to the bed. Josef quickly shifted his weight to lie on top of Mick, and pinned Mick's arms above his head.

"And who said you were the one that was going to be doing the fucking?" Josef's voice was a low, seductive growl in Mick's ear. "I'm the one getting the apology here, so it's my rules."

"Ok." Mick managed to stutter, his body trembling in anticipation. For a moment Mick wondered if he was going to come right then and there, before they'd even started.

"I am going to make you come so hard, you'll never want to leave me." Josef's breath fanned hot against the side of Mick's face.

"Josef." Mick's breathing quickened. "I already never want to leave you."

"Well it doesn't hurt to reinforce that fact, now does it?"

Still holding Mick's arms above his head, a hand spanned across Mick's wrists, Josef reached down and began working Mick's cock with the other. A smile of satisfaction played over his face as Mick moaned his name, and arched into his touch.

The edge of Josef's tongue ran lightly over the nape of Mick's neck, fangs nipped at the soft flesh, just enough to hurt a little. Josef continued to work his hand over Mick's erection. He was a practiced expert in such matters, knowing exactly what technique to use, how much pressure to exert, how slow, or fast, he needed to go in order to keep Mick hovering right on the very brink of release.

After a few more moments spent pushing Mick to the edge of insanity, Josef released his hold on Mick's wrists and cock, and quickly retrieved a small tube of lubricant from the bedside table. More tremors of anticipation ran the length of Mick's body, as he watched Josef slick his own length with an application of the viscous substance.

"Oh we're just getting started." Josef pressed his lips to Mick's ear and growled seductive promise.

Hooking Mick's legs over his shoulder, Josef pressed himself against Mick's entrance and penetrated him, slowly, teasing Mick's body with shallow thrusts.

"Josef, for god's sake." Mick's voice was a strained whisper, teeth clenched and expression pleading.

Josef hesitated for the briefest of moments, and then plunged the full length of himself into Mick's passage. After the first few thrusts he changed the angle of penetration slightly, and began hitting against Mick's prostate with every stroke, pounding into him at an ever increasing rate. Mick clung to Josef's shoulders, body shaking violently as he arched his back and prepared to come.

And then Josef stopped, waiting for Mick's impending orgasm to subside, before going back to his previous slow, teasing rhythm.

Josef kept up the merciless pace for what seemed like an eternity, using every single technique he had learnt in his 400 years to bring Mick repeatedly to the edge of orgasm, and then take him back down again, working Mick into a half moaning, half snarling, incoherent state.

For a moment Josef actually wondered if Mick had started speaking in tongues out of sheer rapture, as he listened to the babbled sounds of pleasure emanating from Mick's lips. He quickened the pace once more, not stopping this time; thrusting hard into Mick's body, and reaching down to pump his cock in a matching rhythm.

"Oh Christ, fuck." Mick's body arched upwards, stretched taut by an invisible string. And then the string broke and Mick found himself hurtling into an abyss of pleasure. Fangs sunk deep into the side of Josef's neck, he growled his way through the force of the climax tearing through him, and repeated muffled crescendos of pleasure.

Through the haze of his own bliss, Mick was vaguely aware of Josef reaching his own release, feeling the sharp sting of fangs biting into the top of his shoulder.

"I told you, I was going to make you come so hard you'd never want to leave me."

Both drawn out and spent, Josef collapsed on top of Mick. For a moment Mick was glad he didn't need to breathe, or else the weight of Josef's body crushing against his chest may have been more than a little uncomfortable.

Mick wrapped his legs tighter around Josef's waist, holding Josef to him.

"I love you, don't ever forget that." Mick heard Josef telling him then.

"Ditto." Mick managed to reply, through hitches of breath, and aftershock tremors still humming through him.

"Now remember what we discussed, Josef." Mick's voice, and expression, held a pointed note of challenge as they dressed for dinner the following night.

"Yes. Yes ok, don't worry I will be nice. For you." Josef rolled his eyes in a gesture of reluctant acceptance.

"Thank you." Mick smiled a grateful reply.

They walked downstairs and into the dining room, finding a slightly dishevelled looking Beth already seated at the table. As she saw them approached she made an attempt to run her hands through her hair and straighten her crumpled clothes, trying to at least make herself look somewhat more respectable.

Josef and Mick took their respective seats at the table, Josef seated at the head and Mick seated opposite Beth. Mick nudged Josef's leg under the table, and looked at him as if to say, "Go on then."

"So, Beth, how are you feeling." Josef cleared his throat, and tried to smile as warmly as possible. Nevertheless Mick could still hear him grinding his teeth. He delivered a sharp kick to Josef's shin and glared at him, and then gestured for him to keep going.

"So, Beth." Josef shot Mick a furious look, and continued on. "I'm….look I'm sorry for the way I acted before; it was very ah…rude of me. I guess, well I guess this has just been hard on me, on all of us I mean."

Josef turned to Mick and flashed a quick 'how was that' smile.

"Yes well, Josef, it hasn't exactly been a bed of roses for me recently either you know." Beth replied, and Josef felt Mick give him another pre-emptive warning kick under the table.

"No, no I can't imagine it has been."

Josef's response was forced polite, and Mick stood up and began lighting the candles held in the ornate candelabras displayed along the centre of the table.

"Well, this is nice." Josef's voiced oozed charm, and false sincerity. "Would you care for some wine, Beth? It's an excellent vintage."

Mick had to give Josef points for trying. He was a charming fucker when he wanted to be.

"Yes, thank you, Josef." Beth held her hand over the glass in front of her. "Just a small amount, please."

"As you wish." Josef flashed Beth one of his award winning smiles. Mick looked over at the both of them, paying close attention to Josef especially, and began to feel more relaxed.

_"Maybe this was going to work out after all."_

"It's weird." Beth took a sip of her wine, and let the rest of the sentence hang in the air unspoken for a moment.

"What's that?" Mick scrunched his brow in a question.

"You and Josef."

"What's so weird about Mick and I." The slightest hint of a challenge crept into Josef's tone, and Mick delivered another sharp kick to his shin under the table. Josef glared at him, and mouthed the words, "Stop it", before seeing the hopeful, pleading expression (god he was beautiful) on Mick's face.

"Err, I mean yes, yes I suppose it would be...for you at least, I mean...well you know what I mean." Josef rephrased his response, and tried to smile without gritting his teeth.

"Yes, Josef, I know what you mean." Beth forced a smile of her own. "It's just that," she continued on, "I remember coming to speak to you in your office, and at the time you seemed to imply that this was just about sex for you. And yet now here the two of you are, supposedly in love."

"Not supposedly you stupid bitch, are."

Josef suppressed the urge to shout those words in Beth's face, anticipating more than just a kick to the lower leg from Mick if he were to do so, and responded instead with. "Well old habits die hard"

Both Mick and Beth looked at him curiously, and he waved them off with throw away remark. "Denial, I was kind of big on it back in the 1600's."

The session continued on from there. Josef doing his best to make small talk with Beth, and be a gracious host, whilst Mick looked on appreciatively. A couple of hours later Josef stood up. and excused himself for the night.

"I'm a little tired, I think I might try and catch up on some sleep. Good night, Mick." Josef found his attempt to place an affectionate kiss on Mick's lips miss its mark, when Mick turned his head away at the last moment. He flashed Mick a seething look, and walked over to Beth, making it a point of kissing her full on the lips as he wished her a, "Good night," and then turned to Mick with a triumphant, pointed smile on his face.

_"See, she let me kiss her goodnight."_

After Josef had left the room, Beth turned to Mick. "We need to talk." She told him straight out.

Mick looked down at the table and let out a reluctant sigh, knowing what was to come, and dreading it at the same time.

"Yeah, yeah I think we probably do."

"Why?"

That single word issuing from Beth's lips said more to Mick than an entire plethora of words ever could.

"You know why, Beth." Mick averted his eyes, and looked decidedly uncomfortable.

"Yeah, you and Josef." Beth snarled, drawing out Josef's name in a sarcastic tone. "You were supposed to be my guardian angel." she said then, her voice cracking with bitter emotion.

Mick looked down at the table, his face a portrait of deeply felt shame, and guilt.  
"I know." Mick's words were a barely audible whisper, and then he decided at least some sort of defence was in order. "Come on though, Beth, I needed you back then, and what happened? I needed more time to deal with what was happening, and I expected you were going to be by my side. But oh no, you had to leave, because you couldn't deal with it."

"And that was reason enough for you to do what you did to me, was it?"

"No." Mick waved a hand in a hurried gesture of acceptance. "Of course not."

"Then why Mick, why?"

"Because I thought that if I turned you it would cancel out the effects of Josef re-siring me. I thought...I thought it would make the feelings I was having for Josef go away. Instead it made you go away."

Mick's voice sounded sorrowful, and filled with long held regret.

"Are you sorry for that Mick?" Mick heard Beth asking him then.

"Of course I'm sorry." Mick looked at Beth in disbelief. "I never wanted to hurt you, I never wanted this for you."

"And if it had worked? What then? Would you and Josef be together now, or would we?"

Mick had asked himself that very question a hundred times over the decades, and he didn't know the answer to it then, or now; not definitively at least.

"You can't answer that, can you?"

"No. No I can't, Beth. I love Josef now, you have to understand that, but I don't know if all of this…what's between us now…would have happened if you had still been in the picture." Mick paused for a moment, and gathered his thoughts. "I do have a feeling though, that Josef and I may have ended up together anyway, eventually."

"So what? What we had together was nothing then?"

Mick could almost taste the bitterness in Beth's words.

"No...I mean yes...I mean." The words refused to form on Mick's tongue the way he wanted them to.

"What Mick? What?" Beth didn't let up, continuing to press forward with pointed challenge.

"Did you ever stop and wonder whether or not that what we felt for one another back then wasn't love but something else?" Mick tentatively tried to broker some sort of explanation. "The love of a child for its guardian, the love of a guardian for that child? Maybe we were both just confusing our feelings back then, Beth, for something that was never meant to be."

"No Mick, actually I hadn't considered that at all." Beth's words stabbed at Mick, and then she stuck the knife in further, and gave it a sharp twist. "I haven't had 50 years to think about this stuff, have I? Thanks to you."

They both fell into an uncomfortable silence after that, Mick once again placing himself mentally on trial, and declaring sentence on himself for what he had done, whilst Beth merely sat there and wanted, at that moment, to occupy any space than the one she did.

"I'm going out for a while." Beth stood up and announced matter of fact, after a few more minutes had passed.

She was out the door before Mick had a chance to stop her.

Later, upstairs, Josef asked Mick if that was Beth he had just heard leaving.

"Yeah, yeah it was. We talked....and it didn't go too well."

Mick sensed Josef's curt nod of understanding, and reached out for him, seeking comfort and reassurance.

"Oh, so now it's ok for me to show affection to you is it, Mick?" Josef shifted away from Mick, rebuking Mick's advances.

"What? Of course you can show affection to me Josef?" Mick's response was tinged with genuine confusion. He had been so wrapped up in his own thoughts he had completely forgotten his reluctance to let Josef kiss him on the lips in front of Beth earlier that evening.

"Your little display downstairs before?"

"What little? Oh that. I'm sorry." Mick's expression fell contrite. "I just don't think Beth actually needs to see us together, she's hurting enough already."

"She already knows we're together, Mick." Josef tried to be as patient as possible with Mick, who right now was pushing Josef's patience to the limit, even as Josef lay alongside him and thought to himself how much he loved this immortal being.

"I know that Josef, I just don't think we need to go flaunting it in Beth's face."

"And me giving you a simple good night kiss is flaunting it?" Josef couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Oh for fuck sake, Mick, it's not like we were going to fuck right then and there in front of her." Josef waited for a few moments, and then followed up with. "Besides that, I'm quite sure she's already heard us up here anyway."

"How? She's been practically comatose with drugs at the time?" Mick arched a questioning eyebrow, and tilted his head, expression puzzled.

"Mick, Heroin doesn't affect you like that." Josef tried to explain as carefully as possible. "Beth may have looked completely unconscious, and unaware, but believe me she was still perfectly aware of what was happening around her."

"Shit." Mick sounded panicked. "We'll have to be more careful."

"Yes, no more screaming orgasms for either of us, we'll just keep them to a dull roar." Josef quipped, and rolled his eyes.

"Josef, I'm being serious."

"And so am I Mick, I do not intend to pussyfoot around in our own home with the man I happen to be in love with just for her sake. I will be civil, I will even be nice, I will bring her flowers and draw her bath and give her fucking foot rubs every night; if it will make you happy, but I draw the line at not being able to actually act like we're in a relationship with one another."

With that Josef had the final word, as he turned his back on Mick and announced he was going to sleep.

As if to drive home the previous nights point, Josef walked up to Mick the following evening, and drew him in for a short, but passionate kiss as Beth looked on

"That's better." Josef whispered in Mick's ear, pleased to note that although Mick had initially hesitated, and stiffened (and not in a good way, Josef added to himself with a mental roll of his eyes) he hadn't pulled away.

"I might just go out for a while." Beth stammered nervously, and then stood up to leave.

"Beth." Mick stepped in front of her, hands held up in a gesture of placation. "You don't have to leave. Look why don't you stay in with us, we'll pick up some trashy movie to watch together; it'll be fun." Mick looked over at Josef, and smiled with far more confidence than what he felt.

"Yes, Beth, it will be so much fun. Just the three of us, together, all night." Josef responded with cheerful sarcasm.

Mick shot Josef a withering look, and Josef arched his eyebrows in reply, as if to say. "_What? I dare you to challenge me right now._"

Mick immediately backed down and Josef, seeing Mick's retreat, softened.

"I'm sorry," Josef decided to give Beth a break. "I have a tendency to put a little touch of snark into my words sometimes."

"So I've noticed, Josef."

Beth's response was a barely disguised note of pointed challenge, and Josef was about to follow up with a piece of brilliant cutting wit when he looked over at Mick, (god he was beautiful), and saw the hopeful, pleading expression on Mick's face.

_"Oh fuck. You're damn lucky sometimes that I do actually love you Mick St John." _

Josef drew in a sharp, unneeded breath. "Mick's right, Beth, you shouldn't go out again, not tonight at least. You're welcome to stay in with us; we'll pick up a movie, guest's choice"

"Ok then." Beth shrugged. "I want to see Terms of Endearment."

"_Oh for the love of, she would have to pick a movie I completely and utterly loathe._" Josef tried to distract himself from his rising annoyance by imagining cheerfully snapping Beth's neck.

"That sounds good. I haven't seen that one yet." Mick was trying to sound as positive about the evening as possible.

"I have." Josef forced a smile, and tried not to grit his teeth too noticeably. "It's...it's, ah...(_oh fuck here we go, I'm going to give into him yet again_), it's watchable…(_the fuck it is._)"

"Ok then well it's settled."

Mick made a hurried phone call to the local satellite company and had the movie beamed directly to their home entertainment theatre screen, and then rejoined Beth and Josef on the couch. Josef at one end, Beth on the other and himself seated somewhere in the middle.

Josef reached across and pulled Mick firmly over to his side, wrapping his arms around Mick's chest in a tight embrace.

At that moment Mick was positive that if Josef has been a cat he would have sprayed on him at the same time, to mark his territory.

Later that evening, after the movie had finished, and any attempts at making polite conversation had dwindled to an uncomfortable silence, Mick and Josef both excused themselves and headed off to bed.

"Well that went well, don't you think?" Mick remarked to Josef, as they lay together in their shared Freezer.

"Oh yes, peachy fucking keen." Josef responded snakily.

"What? We watched a movie, you two managed to be civil to each other. All in all I thought the night was a success."  
_  
"Yes and you're only seeing what you want to see." _

Rather than say those words out loud, Josef shifted closer, and placed an affectionate kiss against Mick's lips, telling him that, "Yes (_the fact that I didn't kill Beth with my bare hands_) it did indeed mean that they'd all managed to have a very civilised evening together."

Josef sensed Mick's attempted smile, and he knew Mick was forcing himself to act far more content than what he actually felt.

Mick felt strong hands lifting him out of the freezer, and carrying him over to the bed, the following evening just before dusk.

"Josef, Beth is downstairs, we can't..."

Mick's formed protest was interrupted by an exasperated sigh from Josef.

"Yes, we _can_, and we're going to. You've got to learn not to be so bloody considerate to a fault all the damn time. To the detriment of everyone else's feelings, including your own."

Mick nodded a reluctant agreement. Despite his not being entirely comfortable with the idea of having Beth downstairs, listening, he couldn't deny his own rising desire as Josef began trailing his tongue down the length of his torso. Mick moaned, a soft appreciative sound, and bit down on his lower lip to keep from making too much noise, as Josef wrapped his lips around Mick's cock and began to work his mouth and tongue along the length of Mick's shaft.

"Here, bite down on this if you have to." Josef stopped for a moment, and handed Mick a pillow.

Just then they both heard a knock on the bedroom door and the sound of Beth's voice calling out to them, just the once. Before she barged in without waiting to be invited.

Mick scrambled for the covers, throwing them over Josef's form. He gripped Josef's head between his thighs at the same time, warning him to keep still, and keep his mouth shut.

"Uh, hi...Mick." Beth's voice sounded nervous, her gestures awkward, and hesitant. "I was just going to pick up some...you know...supplies, I was wondering if I could get you guys anything while I'm out." She furrowed her brow and looked around the room. "Hey where's Josef? I thought he was up here with you?"

At that moment, Josef stuck his hand out from underneath the covers and waved.

"Hey Beth." Josef's voice sounded cheerfully muffled. "Could you be a dear and pick me up a couple of quarts of B positive, please."

"Oh, ah, oh....oh shit, um...ok yeah sure, Josef, no problem...I'll umm...leave you guys to it." Beth managed to stammer out, before beating a hasty retreat from the room.

Mick released Josef's head from between his thighs, and then reached under the covers and punched him once, hard, on the top of his shoulder.

"That was uncalled for, Josef Kostan. And now thanks to you the mood's been completely ruined."

"I beg your pardon, I ruined the mood? Excuse me, Mick St John," Josef responded with barely disguised contempt. "I think a certain stupid bi....Beth walking in on us, without waiting to actually be invited, is the one who ruined the mood."

"Yeah well you didn't have to go and make it any worse, did you now?"

Josef climbed out of the bed, and quickly threw on some clothes.

"Just keep pushing me Mick, just try it." He turned to Mick and stated flatly, before planning to head downstairs, for some serious sulk time, if truth be known.

"Or what Josef?" Mick sighed.

"You don't want to find out."

The look Josef gave Mick then sent a tremor of panic running along Mick's spine, and made Mick visibly cringe.

Mick waited a few moments, before throwing on a robe and heading downstairs. He found Josef sitting in the lounge room; arms crossed defensively, the stereo tuned into a random station playing The Smiths at full volume.

_All men have secrets and here is mine  
So let it be known  
For we have been through hell and high tide  
I think I can rely on you...  
And yet you start to recoil  
Heavy words are so lightly thrown  
But still I'd leap in front of a flying bullet for you_

"Josef?" Mick approached cautiously, seeing the dark mood Josef was in.

_The devil will find work for idle hands to do  
I stole and I lied, and why?  
Because you asked me to!  
But now you make me feel so ashamed  
Because I've only got two hands  
Well, I'm still fond of you, oh-ho-oh_

"Josef?" Mick repeated Josef's name, a little louder this time.

_So, what difference does it make?  
Oh, what difference does it make?  
Oh, it makes none  
But now you have gone  
And your prejudice won't keep you warm tonight_

"Josef? Please?"

_But no more apologies  
No more, no more apologies  
Oh, I'm too tired  
I'm so sick and tired  
And I'm feeling very sick and ill today  
But I'm still fond of you, oh-ho-oh_

Mick walked over to Josef gingerly, and knelt down beside him, laying his head in Josef's lap. He sensed Josef looking down at him, reluctant, and hesitant. And then Josef's hand was stroking the top of his head, curling tendrils of hair around his fingers.

_Oh, my sacred one ..._

Mick reached for the remote and clicked off the stereo. He lifted his head looked up Josef with genuine contrition. For a moment, Josef wasn't sure whether to kiss Mick, or make the sign of the cross over him. He chose the former.

"I hate it when we fight, Josef." Mick returned Josef's kiss, his voice sounding small and plaintive.

"Yeah well it's not exactly fun for me either you know, Mick."

"I know." Mick clambered onto Josef's lap, legs straddling Josef's thighs, and buried his face in Josef's neck.

"I thought you were worried about Beth seeing us together?" Josef arched a questioning eyebrow as he felt Mick start to move against him.

"Come on Josef, we both know she won't be back for hours."

Josef hesitated for a split second before grasping Mick roughly by the hair and pulling his head to one side, exposing his neck. Mick gasped at the initial shock of Josef sinking his fangs into his neck, and then shock gave way to a rush of euphoria.

Josef held him like that for a few moments; teeth sunk deep into Mick's neck, before he shifted position and shoved Mick face first, onto the floor below.

"Josef." Mick moaned Josef's name and Josef growled at him to, "Shut up".

Fangs gripped the back of Mick's neck then, Josef's hand reached underneath Mick's body to work on the fastenings of Mick's pants.

"Oh shit." Mick drew in a sharp hiss of breath, as he felt his jeans being roughly yanked down to his ankles. And then Josef was pressing saliva slicked hardness against his entrance, and breaching his resistance with one sudden, hard, thrust.

"I've fucked you harder than this before, Mick." Josef snarled, and gripped the back of Mick's neck with his fangs, in a show of dominance. "So don't pretend you can't take it."

Mick swallowed, and drew gulps of unneeded air. He tried to relax, reminding himself that this was Josef, and Josef would never hurt him.

_"You sure of that, Mick?" _Mick's mind spoke, playing tricks on him.

"Say it." Mick heard Josef hiss to him then.

"What?" Mick's voice sounded nervous, hesitant.

"You know what I'm talking about Mick. Say it." Josef's voice was a heated whisper. "Tell me what you want me to do."

"Fuck me, please."

"Go on" Josef prompted.

"Hard."

Mick's response was a rushed breath of fear, and arousal. Josef bent down to whisper his approval. And then he was pounding into Mick's body, thrusting himself as deep as he could go with every forward stroke.

"Please don't hurt me." Mick's voice, filled with such unbridled fear that it made him stop mid stroke, reached Josef's ears.

"Mick, relax I'm not going to hurt you." Josef's voice held a note of regretful apology. He hadn't really meant to frighten Mick. "I'm just going to fuck your brains out."

Josef felt the fear drain out of Mick's body, and thrust forward a few more times, feeling Mick's hips rising to meet his. And then they were both falling into a sea of pleasure, bodies trembling, and fangs sunk deep into flesh, as they shouted, and snarled, their way through their respective orgasms.

"Fuck me." Was all that Mick could manage to say after the last pulsations of his climax subsided.

"I just did, didn't I?" Josef whispered back.


	6. Chapter 5

They both moved over to the couch after that, lying together in each others arms, until Josef broke the silence.

"Mick?"

"Mmm."

"You didn't seriously think I was going to hurt you, did you?"

"No...Yes...maybe?" Mick's reply was hesitant, uncertain.

"Mick, when have I ever hurt you, like _that_?" Josef snorted a quick laugh, and rolled his eyes.

"You staked me once."

"_That_ was thirty years ago and it was an accident, you were the one who stepped in between the middle of a bar room brawl, remember?"

"Yeah." Mick muttered a noncommittal reply, and then whispered to himself. "Thirty years."

"Fifty." Josef whispered back.

"What's happening to us, Josef?"

"I think you already know the answer to that." Mick sensed Josef's hesitation. "She can't stay here with us Mick. It's just not working out."

Mick sighed. He had to admit Josef was right.

"But we can't just throw her out on the street? Come on, this is still Beth we're talking about."

"I'm not talking about throwing her out on the street, Mick. I'll set her up somewhere, buy her a nice place, top of the line freezer; the whole works. _To make you happy_." Josef added wordlessly.

"And then she'd be alone."

"She wouldn't be _alone_, Mick. We'd visit her."

"Just give it a few more weeks, please Josef, for me?"

Josef looked at Mick, lips drawn in that particular smile. The one that told Mick, once again, Josef was going to give in to him.

"Alright, Mick. For you."

And then the latch on the front door clicked, and Beth walked through the open doorway.

Josef took one look at the condition Beth was in and let out a growl, rolling his eyes with undisguised annoyance.

"I'll-

"-call the Cleaner." Mick finished Josef's sentence for him, and half rose out of his seat.

"Don't worry." Beth rasped. "I didn't kill anyone, just took a little refreshment."

"You've had more than just a 'little refreshment'." Josef snarled as Mick looked on, face etched with concern.

Mick instructed Beth to join him on the couch, gesturing her over to him. Beth hesitated for a moment, and then sat down beside Mick. Her body turned slightly away from his.

"Beth." Mick began gently; silently praying Josef was going to keep his mouth shut at the same time. "You can't keep doing this all the time. I know you're hurting, but you're a Vampire, and Vampires are more prone to addictions than mortals, it's part of our physiology."

"Oh yeah, how." Beth scoffed.

"_Please don't say the wrong thing now, Josef._" Mick shot Josef a pleading look.

"Mick's right, Beth." Josef drew in a sharp breath, and then began to try and explain the situation to Beth, forcing himself to be patient with her. "The blood we take in fuels us, our breathing, our heart rate, our cells, everything. Take in drug laced blood and that becomes part of us as well, until we replenish ourselves with fresh, clean blood."

Beth considered this for a moment, and then smiled, and waved her hand dismissively. "Look, it's fine ok; I've got this under control."

"If I had a dollar for every time I heard that line." Josef muttered to himself

"Well like you said," A distinct note of challenge edged Beth's voice, "all I need to do is make sure I drink enough clean blood in-between, and I'll be fine, right?"

Josef rolled his eyes, and turned to walk away, waving a dismissive hand of his own behind his head.

"Yeah, sure, whatever Beth. Knock yourself out."

Knocking herself out is exactly what Beth continued to do over the following weeks. Going out more and more frequently, coming home all pinhead pupils, and stop motion movement.

No longer able to hunt properly, and still needing the heroin that now controlled her every waking move, she had taken to paying local junkies for their blood, rapidly emptying her bank accounts of what little money she had. When the cash flow inevitably ran dry, she turned to offering quick, anonymous blow jobs in the back of some godforsaken alley dive, in the middle of who knows where

The first time she had almost expected some part of her mind to scream, "_Stop, this has gone too far._" Instead she found her thoughts focused on little else other than, "_If I do this I get money, and I get what I need._"

In Beth's mind, now deranged with drug fuelled cravings, it was just that simple.

Mick was beside himself with worry; often trawling the streets for hours looking for her, trying to make sure she was ok. Josef did his level best to be understanding, more for Mick's fragile state of mind. He even took the three of them out Freezer shopping for Beth, top of the line, just as he'd promised. When Beth nodded off in the middle of the store, and nearly fallen head first into the damn thing; Josef had to clench his fists, and walk outside, before he tore her apart on the spot with his bare hands.

One morning they had found themselves rudely awoken by screams of repeated expletives, and Beth rampaging through the house.

"Why the fuck does this place have to be kept so damn clean all the time."

Beth had raged unabated. When Mick had come downstairs to investigate the commotion, he had found her flinging cushions of the couch, and crawling around on her hands and knees; searching under cupboards for any loose change that might have fallen down there.

Mick had grabbed hold of Beth then, pleading with her to stop, baring his fangs in a show of dominance to try and shock her into submission. Josef had come roaring down the stairs at that point, shoving a handful of notes into Beth's sweat dampened palm, and snarling at her to,

"Take the damn money and get out."

From there, things only got worse. Mick continued to rail, and cry, and beg, and plead with Beth to stop, whilst Josef tried his best to avoid the situation completely. His relationship with Mick became increasingly strained. Little things around the house started to go missing, a few of Josef's favourite vintage CD's, then a number of small electrical items.

The final straw came when Josef awoke to find his entire, very expensive, home entertainment system gone.

"Either she goes, or I go. I'll leave you to decide. You've got one hour."

Josef jabbed the sharp end of a pointed finger in Mick's face, and then stormed out the door, slamming it shut behind him.

Beth returned five minutes after Josef's departure.

"We really need to talk, Beth." Mick tried to keep the tone of his voice as even as possible, gesturing towards the empty seat on the couch next to him.

Beth sat down beside Mick, and promptly burst into tears.

"Shit, shit, shit, everything is just so messed up at the moment." Beth sobbed. "You were right, Mick, you and Josef. But I can't stop. I've tried, and I can't."

"Yes you can, Beth, ok? You can. We'll get you some help, a program or something."

"Or something." Beth's laughter was tinged with a bitter edge. "Yeah right, Mick. They have drug rehab programs for Vampires do they?"

"I don't know, but we can look into it. There's got to be something out there. I'm sure you're not the first Vampire to have gone through this."

"No and I don't suppose I'll be the last either, you'd be surprised how many I sense on the streets out there, every night."

"We'll find you some help Beth, I promise." Mick spoke gentle words of reassurance. "I'll have Josef make a few phone calls when he gets home."

"_Josef._" Shit how was he going to handle that? "_You weren't wrong when you said things were all messed up, Beth._"

But Josef would have to be handled. It was going to take a lot of pleading, and begging (and more), but Mick figured he could manage it, eventually. Maybe the fact that Beth had asked for help would be a good selling point, just maybe.

"Mick?" Beth's voice, small and fragile, broke through Mick's private reverie. "Would you just....please?"

She stretched out her arms towards him, seeking embrace. And then lips were being pressed together, hands caressing cloth covered flesh, and fingers fumbling with rows of buttons. Mick's mind raced with a single, repeated thought.

"Oh this is so wrong."

Before Mick had a chance to really register what was happening, Josef had walked through the front door.

Josef stood staring down at them coldly. Mick expected a display of sheer, unbridled fury, to be thrown around the room, sucker punched, and broken into tiny little pieces. Anything but what Josef did next. Somehow it seemed far worse than any act of violence or aggression.

Josef continued to regard Mick and Beth with icy precision, for what seemed like an endless moment. And then he turned away, and wordlessly climbed the stairs, heading for the bedroom where he hastily threw a few changes of clothes in a very expensive, stylish, black leather duffel bag. He walked back downstairs with the same cold disregard, when he was done.

"You know the trouble with you, Mick?" Josef paused at the open front door, and turned back towards Mick. His words delivered with flat cold menace. "You always want what you can't have, and you miss what's right in front of your nose…just as it's walking out the door."

With that, Josef walked out, slamming the door shut behind him with a terrible sound of finality. Mick stood frozen, rooted to the spot; until he looked over at Beth and saw the questioning little 'oh well' shrug she was giving him.

At that point, Mick lost all semblance of control.

Covering the distance between them in one split second leap of anger fuelled, Vampire strength, Mick grabbed a kicking, and screaming, Beth by the hair, and forcefully dragged her to the front door.

"BURN, STARVE, DIE IN THE FUCKING SUN FOR ALL I CARE." Mick flung Beth down the steps, and onto the street below with one powerful flick of his hand. THE ONLY PERSON I EVER LOVED HAS JUST WALKED OUT THE DOOR, AND YOU," Mick made a singular stabbing motion with his finger "ARE DEAD TO ME NOW."

Mick slammed the door shut with such force that it almost smashed clean off its hinges.

"YEAH, WELL FUCK YOU MICK ST JOHN. THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT." Beth screamed at the closed door in front of her. She smiled in smug satisfaction when she heard the sound of Mick's skull cracking against the woodwork as he slumped to the floor, and slammed the back of his head, once, hard into the door. Before she turned and walked off up the street.

**(A word of thanks goes to francis, LisaC and jenstc2003 for their general advisement and to Redwinter101 for her specific advisement, particularly with the latin, for this scene)**

Even as Josef walked away, part of him was screaming that he should turn around, go back, throw himself into Mick's arms, and beg Mick's forgiveness.

"_Beg Mick's forgiveness? Oh holy mother of...I must be insane._" He thought to himself darkly as he shook his head and rolled his eyes up to the heavens in silent defiance.

The strains of Latin chanting, pure, and beautiful, and holy; reached Josef's ears. He found himself drawn towards the sound, towards the threshold of the Cathedral that seemed to rear itself up before him.

It had been over 400 years since he had entered such a place, and he hesitated, just for a moment, before stepping over the threshold, and back into the past.

Josef paused at the Font of Holy Water just inside the entrance proper, fingers hovering above it, before being dipped in, droplets of cooling water splashed onto his face. He paused again, hesitant, then dipped his fingers into the font once more, and blessed himself. Turning towards the altar, Josef hurriedly genuflected, before slipping silently into the back of the Church, and taking a seat.

Josef resting his forehead on the pew in front of him as he listened to the words of the famous 13th century Latin Hymn being chanted, feeling layers of centuries peel away.

He saw himself as he had once been, still human, and chanting the same words he was hearing now as he performed the Requiem Mass.

_Dies irae, dies illa  
solvet saeclum in favilla,  
teste David cum Sybilla.  
Quantus tremor est futurus,  
quando judex est venturus,  
cuncta stricte discussurus.  
Tuba mirum spargens sonum  
per sepulchra regionum,  
coget omnes ante thronum.  
Mors stupebit et natura,  
cum resurget creatura,  
judicanti responsura.  
Liber scriptus proferetur,  
in quo totum continetur,  
unde mundus judicetur._

_Day of wrath! O day of mourning!  
See fulfilled the prophets' warning,  
Heaven and earth in ashes burning!  
Oh what fear man's bosom rendeth,  
when from heaven the Judge descendeth,  
on whose sentence all dependeth.  
Wondrous sound the trumpet flingeth;  
through earth's sepulchers it ringeth;  
all before the throne it bringeth.  
Death is struck, and nature quaking,  
all creation is awaking,  
to its Judge an answer making._

The terrible words had once filled him, not with dread, but with a sense of rejoicing. Secure in the knowledge that God was just, God was coming to judge both the living and the dead in the final days, and all was in order with the world.

"_Laudare, Benedicere, Praedicare...Veritas...Contemplare et Contemplata Aliis Tradere ( To praise, to bless and to preach...Truth...To study and to hand on the fruits of study)_." Josef muttered wordlessly in the stillness of the Church. The three motto's of the Ordo Praedicatorum., The Order of Preachers, The Dominicans. Seekers of knowledge, and ultimate mystical union with God, that he himself had once been ordained as a part of.

It was this seeking of knowledge, of mystical communion with God, that had lead him to accept the offer of ultimate truth, and knowledge of God, given to him by a travelling mystic one winter's day in 1629. And as the Vampire had drained his life's blood and replaced it with his own, the ultimate knowledge and experience of God had finally been revealed to him.

He had placed the purple stole around his neck every morning, kissing it and praying for immortality, in the afterlife. And yet here he was on earth, an immortal creature, not created by God's hands, an unholy thing of darkness, and God didn't strike him down. The ultimate truth for Josef was that God did not exist. He had turned his back on the Holy Catholic Church, and indulged every sin of the flesh, and pleasure, he had once denied himself.

On impulse, Josef prostrated himself on the floor of the Cathedral, lying in front of the altar, arms outstretched in the form of a cross, forehead pressed against the cold floor below.

"Are you alright, my son?" Josef felt strong hands lifting him to his feet, kind words spoken by an elderly Priest standing before him.

The Priest's rheumy eyes still shone with the assurety of innocent faith, and for a moment Josef considered revealing what he was, shattering that faith the way his had been shattered all those centuries ago.

He couldn't do it, instead he reached into his pocket and drew out a fistful of Euros, pressing them into the Priest's hand with the words,

"Frater meus Jesu Christi." (My Brother in Christ)

The Priest considered Josef curiously for a moment, and then responded.

"Dominus Tecum." (May the Lord be with you)

"Et cum spiritu tuo." (And with thy spirit) Josef responded in turn. Before he turned away, and walked out of the Church, just as he had over four hundred years ago.


	7. Chapter 6

"Shit."

Still slumped on the floor an hour later, Mick muttered angrily to himself, and scrubbed his hands over his face with apparent frustration. He leapt to his feet and grabbed his cellular, leaving the first of many, increasingly frantic, messages for Josef as he ran out the door to try and track down Beth.

In the meantime, Josef had boarded a train to Cologne. Ryder England had been living in that particular city for the past decade. His phone began to ring constant, and insistent, much to the annoyance of the other passengers, prompting Josef to move to a more secluded part of the train. He didn't need to check the caller ID to know it was Mick that was trying to reach him. A few times he almost gave in and answered the call...almost.

Several hours later Josef arrived in Cologne and stood, looking for all the world like a lost soul, on Ryder's doorstep.

Ryder regarded Josef for a moment. "Come inside."

The invitation was accompanied by a simple gesture of welcome, Ryder standing to one side and ushering Josef through the door.

"We've broken up." Josef said sorrowfully as he stepped through the open entrance.

"Yeah, sure you have." Ryder gave a sly wink, a knowing smile playing across his features.

Josef merely shrugged in forlorn, noncommittal reply.

"So what happened?" Ryder asked after he'd given Josef a chance to freshen up. He sat down with Josef, in the rather sparsely furnished parlour of his house, and poured a glass of Scotch mixed with a chaser of blood, for the both of them.

"Beth." Josef spat the word as if it were poison in his mouth.

"What? Beth's back? When did that happen?" Ryder responded with genuine surprise.

"A few weeks ago, she's been staying with us."

Ryder raised an eyebrow and Josef followed up with a quick explanation.

"Hey, don't look at me, it wasn't my idea."

"Ah." Ryder smiled knowingly at Josef. "It wasn't your idea, but you went along with it anyway. "Because Mick asked you to."

"Something like that." Josef replied with the hint of a scoffed sigh. And then he proceeded to tell Ryder everything that had happened, from start to finish. When he was done Ryder stared at him for a few moments, before giving a single word response.

"Whoa."

Josef nodded his head glumly.

"So, wait a minute? What _exactly_ did you walk in on then?"

"They were kissing."

"Just kissing? No clothes on the floor, no mad passionate Vamp action happening in front of your eyes?"

"Well, there were hands involved as well." Josef spat bitterly.

"And you walked out of a 50 year relationship, just because of that?" Ryder challenged. "You haven't exactly been a priest all your life either you know."

"How the hell...?" The thought came suddenly. Josef sat bolt upright, staring wide eyed at Ryder before relaxing again just as quickly. No one except the Vampire who turned him, and Josef himself, knew about that part of Josef's past.

"No, I haven't." he replied, silently adding "_Not all my life at least._"

"So when are you going to let him off the hook then?"

"I'm not." Josef shot back with far more sharpness in his voice than what he actually felt.

"Josef?"

"Let him stew for a while, he deserves it."

Ryder gave an incongruent merry laugh, against the backdrop of Josef's darkened reply.

"It's been what, six or seven hours?" Ryder told Josef point blank then. "And you already look like you want to walk in front of a flame thrower. You won't last a week"

Josef's attempt at giving a '_whatever, I don't care_' shrug, failed miserably. Sighing deeply, he took a hefty swig of blood-scotch, and replied.

"A week? I don't think I'm going to be able to last a day."

"So how many messages has he left you so far today, Josef." Ryder sat opposite Josef at the kitchen table the following evening, sipping his first glass of blood for the evening. "By the way, you look like shit."

"Thanks, didn't sleep very well....and it's twenty five, so far." Josef tried to put on his best 'I don't care' voice and failed miserably once more.

"Let me listen to them."

Josef shrugged, and handed Ryder the phone. "Don't see what difference that's going to make, I'm not responding to any of them."

"_You and I both know better than that._"

The look Ryder gave Josef was unmistakeable as he pressed the replay button on Josef's phone.

"Oh Josef, come on the poor guy's heartbroken." Ryder said after he'd finished listening to the messages Mick had left, including the ones that Josef had saved in the phones memory bank.

"He's heartbroken?" Josef crossed his arms over his chest. "What about me?"

"Josef, just go and see him, talk to him. You know you want to"

"Well, maybe I don't." Josef skulked.

"You, Josef Kostan, are a liar." Ryder said the words straight out, adding a curt nod, and the hint of a knowing smile on his lips.

"And you just know everything, don't you?" Josef shot back. "Haven't you got some sort of computer program you need to be working on?"

"Nope, you've got my undivided attention for however many hours this is gonna take."

"Great." Josef muttered darkly.

"Ok then, well, apart from this recent development with Beth and Mick playing tonsil hockey, how have things been between the two of you?"

"What is this Ryder's relationship anonymous" Josef quipped acidically.

"Yeah that's exactly what it is, now answer the damn question oh stubborn one."

"We've been having a lot of sex." The tone of Josef's voice suggested that wasn't necessarily a good thing.

"And that's bad?" Ryder queried, leaning closer, and looking perplexed.

"No, not necessarily, I guess."

"So, what then?"

"That's all we seem to do lately. Have a fight, we have sex-"

"- well makeup sex is the best kind sometimes, Josef." Ryder cut in a joke.

"It's not that...it's. Oh fuck I don't know, this is stupid." Josef waved a frustrated hand, and then hesitated, lost in thought. "It's just that, we haven't talked, not really; there's been so much tension and...Fuck I don't know." Josef threw his hands into the air, signalling defeat.

"Ah I see. Fucking your way through your feelings, yes that always works." Ryder's reply dripped with lashings of sarcasm. And then he looked serious for a moment. "You're worried that if you go back now that that is exactly what's going to happen again, aren't you?"

Josef lifted a readied hand, prepared to offer a dismissive wave. And then he stopped, taking a moment to consider what Ryder had just said.

"Yeah, yeah I guess I am." Josef replied honestly

"So you _don't_ want to have hot vamp sex with Mick then?" Ryder teased.

"No, I mean yes of course, I mean...." Josef grew increasingly frustrated, mentally chiding himself for his complete non ability to articulate his own words.

"_This isn't like you at all, Kostan._"

"Josef, I know what you mean. Why not try just going out on a few dates together, doing the whole wine and dining, seeing a movie, going for walks along the beach at sunset kind of thing. You never did get a chance to date before you got together, remember."

"Hmmm, maybe." Josef's attempt to sound nonchalant was unsuccessful. Ryder's idea was something he hadn't actually considered, and it had planted a seed in his mind.

Ryder gave Josef a look, one that said '_well, are you going to get going or not_'. Josef smiled, and laughed a little.

"I...uh...probably should let Mick know where I am."

"Yes, you should" Ryder grinned and then added cheekily. "You can take my car if you want."

Josef caught the keys that were thrown at him in mid flight. He muttered simple thanks then, and headed off on the long drive back to Salzburg.

A few hours later an exhausted Mick sat rigid on the couch, staring blankly at the wall in front of him. A knock sounded at the front door. Assuming it was just an expected delivery come early, Mick was in no great hurry to answer it.

Whoever it was knocked again, more insistent that time.

"Yeah alright, alright already, I'm coming." Mick opened the door, and stopped dead in his tracks. "Josef."

Mick's voice was an awed whisper. He reached out a hand, wanting to touch Josef's face, needing to check that the vision in front of him was real. Josef's hand snatched his in mid air, and he shot Mick a warning look. "Don't."

Josef lowered Micks hand to his side. Mick noted the slight hesitation, Josef's fingers lingering over his just before he released Mick's hand.

"Do you...do you want to come in?" Mick looked hopeful.

"No, I just came to tell you that I'm staying with Ryder."

"Josef?" Mick raised a curious eyebrow. "Ryder lives in Cologne. You came all that way just to tell me this? You could have just rung me you know".

"I know." Josef shrugged, and Mick stepped to one side, opening up a space in the doorway for Josef to move through.

"Josef, why don't you come in? Just for a few minutes, please."

Josef hesitated for a moment, and then gave a singular nod, and stepped inside.

"So where's Beth?" He asked point blank as he sat on the couch, and accepted the glass of wine Mick was offering him.

"Gone." Mick's reply was a simple statement of fact.

"Rejected you did she? Well. Now you know how it feels, Mick." Josef's own reply brimmed with a far greater amount of venom than intended. He took a moment to mentally kick himself.

Mick looked momentarily wounded. "I guess I deserved that, but no she didn't reject me; I threw her out. _Literally_." He added silently.

Josef looked at Mick, a questioning eyebrow raised in light of Mick's revelation.

"Beth came to me for help."Mick drained the last dregs of wine from his glass, and placed it on the table in front of him.

"And sticking your tongue down her throat was your idea of help was it, Mick?" Josef scoffed.

"No, of course not. Josef, it wasn't like that."

"I know what I saw, Mick."

"Well, yeah." Mick shifted uncomfortably. Josef's eyes bored into him, waiting for an explanation

"_Shit, he isn't going to make this easy for me._" Mick suppressed his nerves, and took a deep breath. "She came to me for help. We talked for a moment, I told her we would find something for her; something to help her, and then she just wanted me to comfort her."

"And you couldn't have just patted her on the shoulder? Or held her hand?" Josef was determined not to let Mick off lightly.

"Look, it just happened, ok. Before I had a chance to stop it." Mick jumped to an immediate defence. "It didn't mean anything."

"A kiss doesn't mean anything to you then, Mick?" Josef challenged.

"No, well yes, I mean of course, when it's with you."

"I see." Josef delivered the statement in as even a tone of voice as he could muster. "And if I hadn't walked in on the two of you? What then?"

Mick took pause to consider Josef's question. Josef rolled his eyes; a hiss erupted from his lips, expression falling dark, believing Mick's hesitation meant something else.

"No, Josef." Mick quickly moved to reassure him. "It's not like that, nothing would have happened."

"Are you sure about that, Mick?"

"Yes." Mick's reply was absolute certainty.

"How?"

"Because it just didn't feel right. It all happened so fast I didn't even really have time to register what was going on until you were standing there. And it still just didn't feel right." Mick repeated.

Josef paused for a moment, and reached for the wine glass that was resting on the table in front of him, quickly draining the last dregs he looked at Mick and asked simply.

"What about us?"

"That. Feels right." Mick's reply was spoken in earnest, and Josef nodded, and smiled briefly. And then he placed the wine glass in his hand back on the table in front of him, and stood up.

"I better go"

"Oh…Oh, ok?" Mick wore a disappointed expression as he walked Josef to the door, until Josef turned around and asked.

"What are you doing tomorrow night?"

"Nothing special." Mick forced a casual reply as his heart started skipping beats.

"There's a Vampire movie marathon on at the local cinema, I thought perhaps we could go and have a laugh."

"I'd like that." The smile on Mick's face was warm, and genuine.

"Yeah, yeah so would I." Josef returned Mick's smile. "I'll pick you up at seven, ok?"

"Sure, ok."

With that Josef waved Mick goodbye, and left. Mick shut the door behind him, and punched a fist into the air, before spinning around and mouthing the word.

"Yes!"

The following afternoon Josef ran around like a headless chicken, getting into a complete flap. He pulled out the suits he had taken with him when he'd walked out on Mick, and realised he had absolutely nothing decent to wear. Decent by Josef's, or should that be Mick's?, standards anyway.

"You can wear one of mine." Ryder offered helpfully.

Josef shot him a disapproving look. "_I wouldn't be seen un-dead in one of your suits._"

Eventually Josef admitted defeat, and declared that he would just have to go out and buy a new suit. He returned an hour later with an exact copy of the Armani suit he knew Mick appreciated seeing him in, and a red silk shirt to match.

"Shit." he muttered darkly just as he finished dressing.

"What's wrong now?"

"I should've got the purple shirt." Ryder looked at Josef, a perplexed, until Josef hurriedly explained. "Mick likes the purple shirt. And this tie is the wrong colour."

Josef had chosen a silver tie, but now he found himself having second thoughts. He was starting to think the black tie would have been a better choice.

"_Did he have a black tie with him?_" He wasn't certain; he'd have to go and check.

"Josef." Ryder walked over to him, patiently, and straightened Josef's tie and collar. "You look fine, ok?"

"Ok." Josef smiled, a little sheepishly, and then furrowed his brow. "You sure I shouldn't just...."

"No!" Ryder cut across with an exasperated shout. He pushed Josef out the door. "You, just get out of here already. And have a wonderful time."

"I will, I hope." Josef turned back and grinned, and then walked out to the car that Ryder, once again, was letting him borrow.

Several hours, and one very long car ride later, Josef stood on Mick's doorstep, waiting for Mick to answer. His heart back flipped as he fidgeted nervously.

"_I shouldn't be this nervous? Should I? It's not like we haven't already been together for the last 5 decades?_" Josef did have to admit to himself that the nerves were probably to be expected. This was their first 'official' date after all.

After what seemed like an eternity the door finally opened.

"You look nice." Mick complimented Josef on his choice of attire.

"Thanks. So do you." Josef ran an appreciative eye over Mick's own choice of clothing, a sharp fitting charcoal suit, and open collared black shirt. "We probably should get going; there might be a bit of a line-up."

"Yeah sure. How did you get down here?"

"Ryder let me borrow his car. The cinema's not that far though, do you want to walk?"

Mick nodded an agreement. They walked in silence for most of the way; a comfortable silence Mick noted with contentment, and felt his heart, beating from the blood he'd ingested earlier, almost stop when Josef's hand brushed against his, their fingers intertwining.

Just before they rounded the corner where the cinema stood, Josef stopped. Giving Mick a quick wink, before morphing into Vampire mode, he grinned, and said.

"Let's see how long it takes them to work out this isn't makeup."

"Josef."

Mick hissed a momentary shocked reply, and then laughed and morphed into Vamp mode himself. This was going to be a fun night; he'd dearly missed this wickedly funny side of Josef.

"Two please." Josef said at the ticket counter, pushing the required fare under the slot in the ticket box.

"Wow! Cool makeup." The teenage attendant stared at the two of then, wide eyed with approval, and gave a 'thumbs up' smile.

"Thank you. It's a very special technique" Josef deadpanned. Mick began to splutter, and had to walk away, lest he burst out laughing.

"Come on." Josef caught up with him, and took Mick by the arm. "We'll grab some popcorn before we go in." They might not have been able to eat it, but at least they could feel the warmth, and smell the aroma.

They spent the next hour laughing, and quietly making jokes to one another, mocking the ridiculously cartoonish Vampires that appeared on the screen before them.

"Humans" Josef scoffed. "They really don't have a clue, do they?"

The other patrons of the cinema repeatedly turned heads, and stared. Until one patron began to show a hint of shocked recognition.

"I think that's our cue to leave." Josef arched a matter of fact eyebrow, and as they rushed out of the cinema together at full Vampire speed, spilling onto the street, and laughing with abandon.

Josef walked Mick home, still laughing and joking along the way. Mick's expression fell hopeful when they reached the door to their house.

"Do you want to come inside?"

"No, I better not."

"Oh." Mick looked crestfallen, and Josef quickly moved to reassure him.

"I did have a really nice time tonight, Mick." Josef reached up to place a goodnight kiss on Mick's lips.

Tentative at first, the kiss quickly grew deeper, more urgent. Josef snaked his arms around Mick's body and pulled him close, lips and bodies pressed together in heated contact as they stumbled through the open front door together.

Mick pushed the door shut with his foot. They fell against it, lips still locked together, tongues exploring the inner most recesses of each other's mouths. Mick broke away from the embrace, and began to climb the stairs. Halfway up he turned back and looked at Josef, the expression on his face unmistakeable.

_"Are you coming or not?"_

Josef hesitated for the briefest of moments. And then grinning broadly, he swiftly moved up the stairs.

Half stumbling, half dragging one another into the bedroom, they collapsed on the bed together. Hands tugged frantically at layers of clothing, fingers fumbled with buttons and zippers. They stripped each other of their respective material accoutrements as rapidly as possible.

"You are beautiful." Mick sat astride Josef, and ran his hands over Josef's chest.

Josef reached up and pulled Mick down to him, lips crushed together, kisses extended, and passionate. Their erections pressed together, strained almost painfully.

Josef momentarily broke the embrace to retrieve the small tube of lubricant from the bedside cabinet. Making a quick application of the slippery liquid to the required areas, Josef shifted over Mick, and pressed the head of his cock against Mick's entrance.

"I love you." Josef whispered softly as he penetrated Mick's body, and began to fuck him with long slow strokes, wanting to prolong the pleasure for both of them as long as possible.

"You too."

Mick's response was lost in the depths of Josef's mouth, Josef's lips meeting his. He wrapped his legs tightly around Josef's waist, and dug sharp nails into Jose's shoulders. His hips rose, and fell to meet every stroke of Josef's hardness thrusting into him.

Josef felt Mick reach down and grab his arse, urging him deeper. He increased the pace, body trembling with pleasure. Small rivulets of sweat formed on Josef's back as Mick clung to him and moaned his name desperately. The first stirrings of impending orgasm welled from Mick's spine as their lovemaking reached a frenetic crescendo.

And then Josef arched his back and thrust into Mick one final time, as deep as he could go. Roaring with release as his climax ripped through him, Josef bent his head to Mick's neck and sunk fangs into flesh; body shaking violently with pulsations of orgasm. Mick joined him a few moments later, snarling and shuddering as he lifted his head to Josef's shoulder, and bit deep into the hard muscular flesh that he found there.

Josef collapsed on top of Mick, feeling the sensation of Mick's unliving heart beating against his chest. They lay there together, and listened to the sound of each others breathing becoming steadier, and steadier, in the afterglow of their pleasure.

For the next hour they wrapped themselves in the comforting warmth of each others embrace. Before Josef finally withdrew, and climbed out of the bed.

"I have to go." Josef bent down to give Mick a kiss.

Expression pleading, Mick whispered a single word.

"Stay."

"I can't." Seeing the desperate look in Mick's eyes, Josef hurriedly explained. "I have to get the car back to Ryder."

"Ok." Mick reluctantly accepted the situation. "Josef?" He questioned then

"What, Mick?"

"When are you coming home?"

Mick looked so lost and sad at that moment. Josef bent down to place another tender kiss, whispering to him.

"Soon, ok"

"Ok." Mick returned Josef's whisper, not wanting to push Josef too far too soon. And then he smiled brightly and asked.

"Hey, you wanna do something again tomorrow night?"

"Sure." Josef replied, pulling on his clothes and doing up the buttons of his shirt. "Like what?"

"I don't know? We could go for a walk along the SalzachRiver? It's beautiful at night." Mick smiled lovingly at Josef, and Josef placed one last kiss goodbye on Mick's lips.

"Sounds great, I'll be here at eight tomorrow evening, ok?"

"Ok." Mick's grin was sheepish. Looking directly into Josef's eyes, he mouthed the words, "I love you."

Josef smiled back and mouthed a single word response. "Ditto."

He wished Mick a genuine good night then, and turned to leave. Walking back down the stairs and out the front door, Josef headed towards Ryder's car, a short walk up the street.

Lost in a haze of happy, contented thoughts of Mick, Josef didn't notice the other step in front of him until it was too late.

"Holy Mother of -" Josef started to say, in shocked recognition.

"- God?The Vampire standing in front of him finished. "Yes. Well. That is what you used to say, isn't it? Father."


	8. Chapter 7

Well? Aren't you even going to say hello to your sire then? The Vampire smirked at him.

"What do you want Gregor?" Josef growled back at him after he'd gotten over his initial shock.

"Don't be like that. I have a business proposition for you"

"No thank you, one proposition from you was enough for me" Josef stated coldly as he crossed his arms over his chest and stared at Gregor defiantly.

"_That_, was over four hundred years ago, Father Lucias" he said smugly, throwing Josef's defiance back at him as he sniffed at the air "and are you really complaining? I can smell him on you from here you know. _That_ wouldn't have been possible if you were already dust, now would it?"

"Don't! Call me that and you" Josef stabbed at the air sharply with his index finger "leave him out of it".

"Oh my my, how gallant you are. Father..." Josef snarled a warning at him and Gregor looked at him with sudden false contrition and asked "I'm sorry, what should I call you then?"

"Josef"

"Josef? Just Josef?"

"Yes, just Josef?

"Ok then, _just _Josef" Gregor laughed at his own little joke and Josef rolled his eyes and glared at him.

"You. Are beginning to try my patience, Gregor" he said darkly and Gregor raised his hands in a sign of retreat and said

"I'm sorry. Josef." emphasising his name as he reached into his pocket and retrieved a photograph which he held out for Josef to inspect. "I believe you know this girl"

"Beth?" Josef muttered to himself with surprise (_"What the hell was Gregor doing with a picture of Beth?"_)

"Is that her name? Funny she told me it was Tiffany" Gregor said offhandedly.

"No. Her name isn't Tiffany it's Beth, Beth Turner. She's a....a friend of a friends". Josef replied, trying to keep his voice as even and nonchalant as possible.

"Oh I know who she is. She's mentioned the two of you, Mick St John and his lover, Josef Kostan" Josef stared at him and Gregor quickly followed through with "Oh yes. I already knew your real name, or at least the one you use now, I just liked watching you squirm before"

Josef continued to stare down Gregor, darkly, and then gave him a sarcastic little smirk "You know who you should talk to this about it?

"No? Who?"

"The Jesuits, go pick on them" Josef quipped and Gregor laughed at him and scoffed,

"The correct line from that particular movie, Josef, is 'the Dominicans, go pick on them' and I already am picking on a Dominican, aren't I?" he replied, returning Josef's self same smirk.

Josef was beginning to tire of their little game of charades and once more demanded to know what Gregor wanted.

"It's really very simple, Father...Oh I'm sorry I mean, Josef. Kostan" he replied with a slight wink, enjoying the rising annoyance he could sense in Josef's body language "Beth works for me now; she is contracted to my employment. If you or Mick St John wants her released from that contract, I expect payment of five million Euros within 7 days"

"Or what?" Josef growled in a low voice.

"Or. She dies". And with that Gregor seemed to vanish back into the shadows from whence he came, leaving the photograph of Beth dropped at, a shaking, Josef's feet.

"Crap" Josef muttered to himself as he stood there on the dark street and let the breath he'd been holding, bending down to pick Beth's picture off the ground; his mind racing.

"He didn't _have_ to do anything" was his first thought "Mick wouldn't _have_ to know about this"

"Crap" he muttered to himself again. Who was he kidding, **he** would know ("_or Gregor would probably tell Mick anyway_") and as great as his annoyance towards Beth was at this time, he didn't _actually_ want her to die.

"Crap" he muttered once more as a voice floated out of the darkness towards him.

"I'll be in touch, Josef. Kostan" and he quickly snapped his head around; trying to pick up on the direction the voice was coming from, but it was already too late.

"Crap!" he snarled, louder this time before he reached the car and jumped into the drivers seat, wheels screeching as he tore away and headed back to Ryder's.

"Oh no" Ryder said sympathetically as he saw Josef's dark mood when he walked in the door "I'm so sorry"

"What?"

"The date? I'm assuming it didn't go too well?"

"Oh that" Josef waved at him dismissively and then couldn't suppress a broad smile, even through his current lamentations "it went fine, more than fine actually"

Ryder looked at him perplexed "Then what....? Ahh wait a minute, I see" he said as if he already knew the answer "You had sex."He stated, as if it was a foregone conclusion "and you're worried that you're just going to go back to not talking things through and fucking instead"

"Yeah" Josef responded slowly "yeah...that's it" Ryder didn't know about Gregor and he didn't need to know, best he just kept thinking Josef's current mood was due to his relationship problems with Mick.

"So? Was the sex good?" he heard Ryder ask him with a cheeky grin on his face.

Josef flashed his fangs at him in a wicked smile and said, with a slight snarl "It was fantastic".

"Well. There you go then" Ryder laughed and then walked over to Josef and looked at him seriously, saying with earnest "You'll sort this out, Josef. Trust me. You and Mick...were meant to be together"

"I know" Josef replied softly before he turned and gave Ryder a brotherly kiss on the cheek, thanked him for letting him borrow the car, wished him a very good morning and pretended he was going to bed.

He waited an hour, lying quietly in the upstairs guest freezer room, until he heard the sound of the front door open and Ryder gunning the car's engine; as he drove off to his morning job at the Computer Science Research Centre. ("_A Vampire with a day job_" the thought never failed to amuse Josef, even though Ryder had told him often enough that, apart from the drive there and back, his job had him contained in a windowless basement the rest of the time), then moved quickly back downstairs and out the door of Ryder's house. He needed to speak to a few contacts and find out what they knew about Gregor and what he was up to.

Stepping out into the bright dawn sun he pulled a pair of sunglasses out of his pocket and shielded his eyes.

"Hello again, Padre" Gregor's voice came towards him as Gregor himself stepped out from behind the tree he'd been leaning against and gave Josef a sly little smile.

"You followed me" Josef stated, darkly.

"Yes. I did" Gregor responded as if it was a matter of due course, tapping his wrist at the same time and saying "Bank opens in 10 minutes"

"You're an arsehole, you know that?" Josef snarled at him as Gregor began moving off up the street and Josef quickly fell in alongside him.

"Well of course I am" Gregor laughed, as if Josef had only just figured this out for himself "I turned you, didn't I? Father Lucias"

"I told you **not** to call me that" Josef warned him with a deep growl and then added, in a more normal tone of voice "you tricked me"

"How did I trick you? Josef."

"You **knew** I was ordained to the Ordo Praedictorum" Josef started, using the correct Latin name for the Dominican Priesthood, "you **knew** I wouldn't be able to resist the opportunity to gain a true knowledge and understanding of God, as you promised me" he spat the last words out, sharply.

"But I gave you what I promised, didn't I? Josef? You received the true knowledge and understanding of God when I sired you. So how is _that_ tricking you?

Part of Josef had to admit that Gregor was right, even so he still responded with bitter sarcasm in his voice.

"Turning Priests into atheists one siring at a time, hey Gregor?"

"Something like that" he responded with amusement, just as they reached the steps to the Cologne Bank.

"5 million Euros and not one Euro less" he stated simply and waited, as Josef hesitated just for a moment and then entered the Bank; with Gregor following close behind.

That early in the morning the Bank was practically empty and Josef and Gregor moved quickly through the line. Reaching the teller Josef smiled politely and pushed his business card over the counter towards her, with the words.

"I need to withdraw a large sum of money, today"

"Ok Mr? She had to check the card again "Kostan". If you'd just like to move over to our Identification Scanner" she started to say cheerfully and Josef held up his hand to stop her from continuing any further.

"You don't know who I am? Do you?" he asked in a low voice.

"No? Sir, I'm afraid I don't" the teller said, looking somewhat perplexed and a little annoyed at the same time (she might be new, but she'd heard the "don't you know who I am" line a hundred times before in various other positions...then again the man standing in front of her _was_ wearing a very expensive, if somewhat crumpled, suit?).

"I'll get the manager for you. Sir? If you'd just like to wait over there, please" She indicated a small row of chairs off to one side and Josef smiled politely

"No thank you. Could you please just call Karl Brustman" he paused for a moment, before lowering his voice to just above a whisper and speaking as calmly as possible "tell him Josef Kostan requires a cheque to be made out in the name of..." he turned and threw Gregor a questioning look.

"Rachmaninov"

"Gregor Rachmaninov" Josef continued "for Five Million Euros"

The teller looked at him in surprise and then looked over at Gregor, suspicion beginning to cloud over her face.

"Are you sure" she mouthed, leaning a little closer over the counter.

"Yes" Josef stated "I am certain. Please ring Karl Brustman and tell him that Josef Kostan requests a cheque for five million Euros to be made out in the name of Gregor Rachmaninov. To be made payable immediately...and it _has_ to be a cheque" he added quickly.

Josef had high level contacts in nearly every bank in Germany, getting the money out wasn't going to be a problem, but he certainly wasn't about to stand around and wait as they counted out five million Euros worth of bank notes nor was he going to risk just having the money transferred into any of Gregor's accounts.

"Ok Sir, as you wish" the teller shrugged and picked up the phone.

The conversation that followed was brief "Yes Sir...no Sir...but Sir? Ok Sir...Yes. Ok" and when the call had ended she looked at Josef, looking somewhat surprised and said "I've been instructed to give you whatever you ask for?"

Josef nodded politely and stated "The cheque then"

Five minutes later a cheque for five million Euros was slipped into his hand and he walked hurriedly out of the bank

"Let's just get this over and done with", he thought to himself as Gregor, again, trailed closely behind him.

Once they were a little ways past the bank, Josef stopped and turned to Gregor "Ok, where's Beth" he demanded flatly; crossing his arms over his chest, the cheque still held in his hand, and looking at Gregor with challenge burning in his eyes.

"Not here" Gregor told him and walked on, motioning for Josef to follow him until they reached an alfresco cafe a few streets away and Gregor indicated one of the tables, telling Josef to,

"Have a seat"

"Ok, I've got the money for you. Now tell me where Beth is" Josef demanded sharply once more; as he took a seat opposite Gregor at one of the tables.

"The cheque first. Josef"

"No. Gregor. Where. Is. Beth" he demanded again, the tone of his voice more ominous this time.

"Just give me the cheque, Father Paranoia" Gregor said in mock exasperation as he chuckled a little at his own little 'Exorcist' reference joke as Josef shot daggers at him, his mood darkening even further.

"No cheque. No Beth" Gregor stated simply and Josef hesitated for a few moments; weighing up the situation in his mind, before he reluctantly handed the cheque out to Gregor and felt it slipping out of his fingers as Gregor took possession of it.

"Ok, you've got the cheque now Gregor" he nodded and then growled at him menacingly "Tell. Me. where. Beth. Is"

"She's safe. That's all you need to know" Gregor replied with a smug grin, tucking the folded cheque into the top pocket of his coat "You've just bought her life. For another couple of weeks at least" he added laughingly.

Josef tensed suddenly, ready to launch himself across the table; in full predatory Vampire mode; when Gregor raised one eyebrow and shot him a look that said.

"_Oh really? In front of all these witnesses_"

Josef looked around at the patrons sitting at the other tables of the crowded cafe and quickly regained his composure.

"You. Fuck" he snarled at Gregor, lowering the tone of his voice; as Gregor stood up to leave.

"You know you," Gregor bent over and said to him quietly, just after he had walked around the table "are either a complete fool or completely besotted in love. Either one of those men is soon parted with his money"

And with that Gregor was gone. Along with five million Euros of Josef's money and no Beth.

Josef sat at the table for an hour after Gregor had left, seething darkly and muttering curses under his breath, before the sun began to get to him and he was forced to find shelter. Returning to Ryder's house and crawling into the guest freezer, which smelt of meat and old blood, ("_Ryder, you idiot, you're not supposed to use the guest freezer to store meat for your human guests, not __**that**__ sort of meat at least_"), he let the welcome coldness surround him whilst he placed a few strategic phone calls to the contacts he'd been heading out to see ("_before I was so rudely interrupted_") that morning.

The phone calls elicited nothing. Gregor, it seemed, had arrived and departed like a ghost; his presence barely creating a ripple in the general world of the streets. A few had heard rumours, whisperings of a _'new pimp on the block'_ but nothing concrete, nothing Josef could actually use. There was nothing to be done about the five million Euros either; Josef hadn't even bothered ringing the bank to put a freeze on it. The cheque was post-dated for immediate payment and he was certain Gregor would have already had the money transferred to one of his accounts. ("Still, it's not the money it's the principal of it, nobody steals from me...or hurt's my Mick...without swift retribution coming down on their arse").

He had fallen into a troubled sleep then, waking just after 6 pm that evening in a complete panic as he realised, factoring in the drive there, that he was probably going to be late for his date with Mick...and he hadn't had a chance to buy another new suit!

"I don't have one, all my suits are professionally dry cleaned and pressed" Ryder told him, as he watched Josef run around the house looking for an iron to at least try and make one of the suits he did have, more presentable.

"Besides that, do you even _know_ how to use an iron?"

"Well it can't be that hard to...." Josef didn't finish what he was saying, he could see Ryder looking at him with an "_oh yeah? Really?" _expression and had to admit defeat.

"I told you, you can wear one of mine?"

"Ryder. You are not being helpful" Josef snapped at him and Ryder rolled his eyes and swept out of the room; returning a few seconds later...

"Oh ye of little faith" he quipped, holding up a very stylish (and very expensive) navy blue Gaultier suit with matching shirt and tie.

"Oh don't look so surprised, Josef. I bought it on sale last year, never wore it though...It wasn't really my style after all and besides that, I bought the wrong size. It should fit you though"

Ryder was right, the suit certainly wasn't his style but it definitely was Josef's and it fit perfectly.

"You, Ryder England, are a freaking life saver" Josef had exclaimed loudly, after he had showered and dressed, kissing him warmly on both sides of his face.

"Well I would exactly use the term 'life saver' to describe a Vampire, Josef" he grinned "but thank you."Now you. Go and have a wonderful evening with Mick" and with that he practically shoved Josef out the door and closed it behind him.

Thanks to Ryder, Josef was actually ten minutes early for his date with Mick and he stood at Mick's doorstep while Mick regarded his pale visage with some concern.

"Are you ok?"

"Hi Mick, you look nice. Gee thanks, Josef, so do you"

Mick rolled his eyes slightly and let out a little snort of laughter "Josef, you look gorgeous, you always do"

"Thank you" Josef smiled at him graciously, then held up a hand to stop Mick from saying anything else. "Some nourishment probably is in order though. Grab a bottle of blood out the fridge; I'll drink it on the way"

Mick hesitated for a moment, considering whether or not to ask Josef inside, then smiled and nodded in acquiesce, leaving Josef standing there for just a moment as he turned and quickly headed back inside; returning a few seconds later carrying a bottle of B positive in his hand.

"Thank you" Josef said as he took the proffered bottle from Mick's hand and greedily sculled down it's contents.

"Wow, you were thirsty?" Mick looked at him with surprise and more than just a little concern.

"Josef? Are you sure you're ok"

Josef waved his hand dismissively "Mick, I'm fine" (he wasn't, but they could talk about that later) let's just go and have a lovely evening together" He held out his hand to Mick, drawing him towards him and wrapped his arm tightly around Mick's waist as they walked off up the street together.

"Wow, the moon is so beautiful tonight" Mick said, looking up at the sky as they sat together on a bench, just on the main footbridge that crossed the Salzach river, a short time later.

"Not as beautiful as you are" he added, whispering in Josef's ear and kissing him gently on the cheek, just as he mentally kicked himself for saying something so damn corny.

"Hmm, what?"

"Josef?" Mick said in complete exasperation "what's wrong?"

"Nothing. Nothing ok, it's not you it's me"

(_"Oh great here it comes, the 'it's not you it's me' speech"_)

Hearing Mick's sudden intake of breath and seeing the way his face almost fell of his skull, Josef hurriedly reassured him. "No, Mick No, it's nothing like that ok. I promise you"

"Well then what is it? Have I done something wrong? (_again_)"

"No. No, look we'll talk about it later ok, I just really do want to try and have a nice night tonight"

"Ok, well you know you could at least _try_ not to seem so distracted" Mick sulked for a moment, brightening almost immediately when Josef leaned over and kissed him and suggested

"Let's go to the square and take one of those horse and carriage rides around the city"

A few minutes later, hand in hand, they approached a carriage driver and offered him the required payment for an hours ride through the streets of Salzburg.

"Couples only" he stated coldly, turning his head away from them.

"Yes? And?" Josef started to say, a growl beginning to emanate from the back of his throat as he wrapped his arm defensively around Mick's shoulder.

"Josef. Let's just get another one" Mick said to him, under his breath, as he pulled Josef away before he had a chance to think anymore about ripping the guy's throat out.

"Fifty years and idiots like that are still being bred" Josef said, speaking loud enough for the carriage driver to hear him.

"Come on" Mick said gently, tugging at Josef's arm "there's another one that's just pulled in, we'll try that one instead"

A few moments later they had paid their fare and Mick watched as Josef climbed effortlessly into the back of the carriage, and he clambered in after him.

"What?" Josef asked as he looked at Mick grinning at him.

"You look so elegant" Mick leant over and whispered to him, pleased when Josef laughed and drew him over to him.

The rest of the evening, at least, was a success; Josef managing to relax enough to actually enjoy the night with Mick, until they found themselves back at the house a few hours later and Josef suddenly looked very serious as Mick asked if he wanted to "come inside"

"Yeah, I do. There's something we need to talk about"

"Oh shit" Mick thought to himself, panicking and trying to brace himself for what he was sure Josef was about to tell him as they sat together on the couch...he couldn't have been more wrong if he tried.

After Josef had gone through (almost) the entire story, from start to finish; leaving out the part about exactly who Gregor was and how he knew Josef, Mick sat there and looked completely stunned for a moment until he finally spoke.

"What are we going to do?"

"We'll get her back, don't worry" Josef tried to quell the fear that had risen in Mick.

"How?"

"I don't know. We'll go and see in Ryder in the morning, see if he can use some of his computer skills to help us track where Gregor is"

Mick looked at Josef, wondering, before he spoke again; his tone questioning "In the morning? You've come home to me then"

"What is this? Interview with the Vampire?" Josef quipped and then looked at the expression on Mick's face "For tonight at least" he said gently.

Mick nodded and tried to smile, then suddenly furrowed his brow and stared at Josef as if something was only just beginning to dawn on him "Wait. _You_ paid this guy five million Euros, of _your_ money, just to save Beth?. _Why?_"

Josef sighed and moved over to the window, beckoning for Mick to come over and join him.

"Fifty years and you still don't get it, do you Mick?"

"Get what? And fifty years isn't that long a time for a Vampire you know, Josef"

"No, I suppose it isn't" Josef said matter of factly, before he pointed up to the sky and the full moon that hung there.

"See that. It's yours if you want it" he said simply and Mick stood there in slack jawed amazement.

"You did _this _for me?"

'Well of course I did it for you, you idiot!" Josef snapped at him "you don't think I'm going to just hand over five million Euros to save some fledgling Vampire gone temporarily insane do you". He rolled his eyes and took a deep breath "Besides that, I don't actually want to see Beth dead you know"

"I did" Mick suddenly said regretfully.

"I beg your pardon?"

"When I threw her out, I told her I wanted her dead"

Josef looked completely taken by surprise at this revelation, before he looked at Mick and told him gently "Mick. This isn't your fault", reaching out and wrapping him up in a tender embrace.

"But it is though, isn't it Josef" Mick stated simply, as if the guilty verdict had already been handed down.

"Shut up Mick" Josef teased softly, and then lead him upstairs to their freezer. "Come on, we'll figure out what we're going to do tomorrow, let's just get some rest now".

"Merciful death. How you love your precious guilt." Josef whispered to him moments later, as he felt Mick slip into restless and deeply guilt ridden sleep.


	9. Chapter 8

Josef awoke just before dusk and turned to look at Mick lying next to him; his arm draped across Josef's chest; his brow creased with worry lines as he seemed to sleep the sleep of a condemned man.

"Mick?" he stroked his face and shook him gently "Mick? are you awake?"

Mick opened his eyes and looked up at Josef. "Yeah, I'm awake"

Josef only had to give Mick a cursory glance to know that not only was he wide awake, he probably hadn't slept all that well either.

"How much sleep did you get?" he asked, kissing the top of his head tenderly and wrapping his arms around Mick's upper body; as Mick nuzzled his head into Josef's shoulder

"About an hour"

"That long hey" Josef replied, planting another tender kiss on the top of his head. "Mick" he said softly, repeating the same reassurance he had tried to give him previously, "this isn't your fault"

"But it is. It is though, Josef" Mick replied mournfully, his voice full of anguish. "I told her I wanted her dead, I told her I hated her and I wanted her dead and now something bad has happened to her. Just like I told you in Paris that night and then something bad happened to you"

Josef sighed and held Mick to him even tighter "Oh Mick. What happened to me in Paris wasn't your fault and what's happening to Beth now isn't your fault either. Your words didn't make any of this happen" he paused and then added, with the smallest laugh of exasperation, "you're good Mick, but you're not quite that good"

"Josef!" Mick hissed at him "this isn't funny. I almost lost you in Paris and if I had-"

"-but you didn't"

"if I had" Mick continued on, ignoring Josef's interruption "the last words I would have ever spoken to you would have been _I hate you _" Josef heard Mick swallow sharply, as he choked back the lump that had begun to form in his throat and then continued on, struggling to keep his voice steady "and now I might lose Beth and the last words I would have ever spoken to her would have been _you are dead to me_"

Josef lay there, staring up at the ceiling through the frosted glass of their freezer, for a few moments before he took a couple of deep breaths and asked the question he knew he needed to ask, but wasn't sure he wanted to hear the answer to,

"Mick? Do you still have feelings for Beth?"

"JOSEF!" Mick blurted, sitting bolt upright at the same time and cracking his head on the lid of the freezer.

"Ouch" he muttered and Josef reached over and pressed the lid release button on the side of the box.

"You ok?" he asked.

"Yeah" Mick replied simply and then climbed out of the freezer and stood alongside it, holding out his hands for Josef to take; as he helped him to climb out of the cold receptacle. "Come on" he said gently "let's go sit over on the bed and have a talk"

"_Have a talk, yeah exactly Mick; just like we should have done weeks ago_" Josef thought to himself; knowing they needed to do this, but still not certain if he really wanted to hear what Mick had to say. He let Mick lead him over to the bed and climbed in next to him, their back's leaning against the wall as Mick drew the covers part way over their legs and took Josef's hands in his.

"Josef" he began earnestly, "when I first saw Beth lying in that hospital bed, awake after fifty years, it stirred up a lot of emotions that I didn't know how to deal with..."

"_Well that explains why you wanted me to practically half rape you that night_" Josef thought to himself but kept silent and let Mick continue.

"...all the guilt and remorse and pain I felt, at what I did to Beth, came flooding back and for a moment I was frightened...frightened that I might still have feelings for her"

"And do you" Josef asked, trying to keep his breathing steady and the tone of his voice matter of fact.

"No. No I don't Josef, not those sorts of feelings at least" he squeezed Josef's hands reassuringly, before continuing on, "I love Beth. I will always love Beth, but only as a friend and as a protector "he paused for a moment and then stated simplistically "I love her. I am not in love with her"

"I see" Josef said quietly, nodding his head slightly as he took in what Mick had just told him "and what about me?" he asked then.

"I. Am in love with you" Mick responded to him sincerely, pulling Josef closer to him and pressing his mouth to his lips, drawing him in for a deep kiss; his tongue gently probing and exploring Josef's mouth as he reached down and took his stiffening penis into his hands and began to stroke him slowly.

"I want to feel close to you" he whispered into Josef's mouth, pressing his body against his, feeling his arousal building.

Josef reluctantly broke their embrace and hurriedly retrieved the small tube of lubricant from where they always kept it. Squeezing a small amount onto his fingers, he worked the slippery liquid just around and into the entrance to Mick's anus before he pressed the head of his hard penis against his opening and slowly pushed past the initial resistance until he felt himself slide all the way into him.

Josef pressed Mick's legs back against his chest and then reached down and placed his hands underneath him, grabbing his arse and raising his hips slightly to change the angle of penetration; allowing Mick's pleasure spot to be stimulated more directly with every slow thrust and withdrawal of his erection.

Mick shifted his position slightly and reached up to draw Josef down to him, covering his face and neck with hot wet kisses and crushing his mouth to his as he began to growl with pleasure. He wrapped his arms around Josef's shoulders and clung onto his neck tightly, digging his nails into Josef's skin and leaving little ridges of indentations as he bucked and writhed beneath him; his growls deepening and becoming loud panting snarls as the ecstasy of his pleasure grew inexorably.

Josef sensed Mick's approaching orgasm and quickened the pace of his strokes, feeling his own climax beginning to coil up from the base of his spine, waves of intense pleasure washing over him as he thrust into Mick faster and faster. He gave a couple more deep thrusts and then felt Mick's body tense up, momentarily, as he arched his back and let out a roar of primal release; the first furious beats of his climax ripping through him. His body began to shudder and convulse with every pulsation and he snarled and sank his fangs hard into the top of Josef's shoulder.

The intensity of Mick's orgasm, as his anus began to clamp rhythmically around Josef's cock and he felt the sticky warmth of his semen spreading over his stomach, pushed Josef over the edge. He seemed to hang there, suspended in mid air for just a second before his own climax rushed through his body and he sunk his fangs into Mick's neck as he held him tightly to him and rode out the waves of pleasure that were coursing through him.

Josef felt the strength go out of his arms and he let go of Mick and collapsed on top of him, gasping as the last pulsations of his orgasm flowed out of him; feeling Mick's arms wrapped around him as he ran his hands through Josef's hair and kissed his forehead gently. Finally, as his heart rate began to return to vampire levels of normal and he could catch his breath long enough to speak, he turned his head towards Mick's ear and whispered softly to him.

"I love you too"

Do you know how many people I have been able to commit to, in my entire life?" Josef asked a short time later, as they lay there together.

"No? But I'm sure you're going to tell me"

"Just one. You" Josef responded simply.

"Really?" Mick considered this for a moment and then quickly added "yeah, me too".

"What about Coraline?"

"Josef, obsession and commitment aren't exactly the same thing" Mick scoffed.

"Hmm, true" Josef replied with just a hint of amusement, then tapped Mick on the shoulder "come on, we need to get up and get dressed. We've got a long drive ahead of us".

"Josef?" Mick said, sitting in the car a while later as they drove to Cologne.

"What?"

"I do know how much you love me" he stated, adding with a slight laugh, "I'm not that much of an idiot"

Josef glanced over, rolling his eyes and laughing along with Mick, before he hesitated for a moment and asked "Well then why were you surprised at what I did?

Before Mick had a chance to respond, Josef sighed and quickly added "I suppose I shouldn't be too surprised at your reaction, after all it only took you more than thirty years to work out Coraline was no good for you and another twenty after that before you actually, finally, let go of her".

"Josef!" Mick started to protest, but knew Josef was right. "I don't know" he shrugged instead. "I just thought...hell; I don't know what I thought".

"I really don't think either one of us has been thinking properly lately, Mick"

Mick considered how to respond to this, before deciding to let it go and asking in a small voice instead, "When are you coming home?"

"I thought I already did?" Josef replied matter of factly, as he reached over and took Mick's hand in his.

Five hours later they stood, together, on Ryder's doorstep as Ryder ushered them in with a silly smile plastered on his face.

"Just say it. You know you want to" Josef said, looking at him pointedly and waiting for Ryder to speak.

"Say what? Josef" Ryder responded with feigned innocence before breaking out in another broad grin and whispering

"Told you so"

"Yes, Ryder you were right" Josef acknowledged and half rolled his eyes in a parody of sarcasm.

"Seriously" he directed to Mick "I told him you guys would work things out, the two of you are like destined to be together or something. You're the Romeo and Juliet of the Vampire nation" he added with a merry laugh.

"Errrm...Ryder?" Mick replied with a wry smile "Romeo and Juliet end up killing themselves, because they can't be together, at the end of that play"

"Well...yes...I ummm...yes I know _that_" Ryder started to stammer before Mick laughed and held up a hand to stop him.

"It's ok, I know what you mean. And thank you"

Ryder looked down at his feet and shifted a little uncomfortably for a moment "You're welcome" he mumbled half to the floor before he lifted his head and looked at Mick brightly "By the way, have you enjoyed your dates?"

"Dates?" Mick had to stop and think for a moment, they weren't really here to talk about dates after all. "Oh yeah, yeah the dates have been nice, a lot of fun actually"

"Hmm so I've heard" Ryder responded cheekily, proudly adding "they were my idea"

"Sorry what was your idea, Ryder?" Mick asked, somewhat distracted and wondering when they were actually going to get to the point of their visit.

"The dates, Mick. You know the ones you and Josef have gone out on recently" Ryder tried to explain patiently, a note of exasperation creeping in to his voice.

"Oh ok, sorry Ryder" Mick replied with genuine contrition "thank you, the dates _were_ a lovely idea of yours"

"See" he looked at Josef and made a pointing gesture with his finger "didn't I tell you the dates would work, although seriously the two of you are destined to be together so dates or no dates..."

"Yes well, we can all hold hands and sing Kumbaye later on" Josef interrupted him "we're actually here on another, more serious matter".

Ryder sat silently across from them, all three seated around one of the empty tables in his study area; the other two being taken up by all manner of hardware, flashing displays and a veritable conglomerate of cords and wires; and listened carefully as Josef explained the situation with Beth and Gregor as it currently stood.

"Can you help us locate her?" he finished finally.

Ryder took a deep breath and looked as if he was lost in his own thoughts for a moment, then moved over to one of the computer screens and began typing a series of commands on the keyboard in front of him.

"Yes, I think so" he said "Josef, what was the name of the bank where you withdrew the cheque?"

"The First National Bank of Cologne, on Strassburg Street"

Ryder's fingers glided expertly over the keys on the keyboard, rapidly tapping out another series of commands as he quickly explained what he was doing.

"Tracking a Vampire by his name is usually a dead end, too much history and search combination possibilities. I'll tap into the bank's security camera system instead and try and pull decent picture of his face up, then run it against some of my facial recognition software and cross reference that with any other security cameras in the area, or, anywhere really".

A few moments later he had found his target "Is that him?" he asked Josef, pointing to an image of Gregor being transmitted from the bank's security files and onto the computer screen in front of them.

"Yeah, yeah that's him" Josef nodded briefly.

"Ok then, time to go to work" Ryder continued tapping away at the keys, typing different commands to the computer in front of him and sending packets of information scurrying out into the wider computer network of the world. After an hour of solid work, along with much huffing and puffing and gnashing of teeth along the way, Ryder announced.

"Ok I've found something. This was taken the same date that Gregor first made contact with you Josef. Do you recognise the guy that is with him?"

"Son of a bitch" Josef exclaimed darkly, as he stared at the image in front of him. "That's Romano, one of my contacts in the underworld who swore blind that he knew absolutely nothing about any of this and had never heard of Gregor Rachmaninov" he explained hurriedly before hissing the words "Son of a bitch" at the screen once more and storming out of the room, intent on going to have a _word_ to Romano.

"Josef, wait" Mick called out after him and followed him out of the room "I'm going with you"

Josef held up his hands to stop him, "No, Mick, I'll be much faster and more effective on my own, besides that" he added, quickly typing a series of numbers into his cell phone and handing it Mick "we can't just go and get Beth and return her to how things were before, she needs help. This is a list of contacts I have who can get her that help. Stay here and call them"

With that he gave Mick a quick kiss and then turned and swiftly headed out the door, moving at full vampire speed.

Twenty minutes later, Josef was kicking Romano's door of it's hinges and knocking him across the room with a single backwards sweep of his forearm.

"Waddya do that for" Romana started to say, but Josef had already leapt across the room and grabbed him by the throat; cutting off his words.

"Talk" he growled, ominously.

"Wha-wha-what?"

"You know what, Romano. I've seen the video footage, I know you know Gregor"

"Gregor? Who the hell is Gregor? I don't know what you're talking about Josef, please" Romano said, his voice rising to a level of panic.

"The Man. you. Met up with. Last Friday" Josef explained slowly, as if he were talking to a very small and very stupid child.

"Oh, him. I didn't know his name"

"What did he want from you Romano?" Josef asked through gritted teeth

"Josef, please. He'll kill me if I say anything" Romana begged him

"And I'll kill you if you don't" Josef stated darkly, tightening his grip around Romano's neck. Romano was human, all Josef needed to do was flick his wrist and snap his neck, and Romano knew this.

"Ok. OK. He needed me to launder some money for him, he wanted me to help him cover his tracks" he admitted

"Cover his tracks for what? Romano"

"For what he'd used the money for"

"Romano" Josef said, reducing his voice to a low growl "I am starting to lose patience with you. You don't want me to lose patience with you, do you?"

"N-n-no, Josef"

"Good. Then tell me what he used the money for"

"A-a w-w-warehouse, on the outskirts of p-p-Pulheim. I h-h-have the address" he stammered

"Then go write it down for me" Josef stated simply, letting go of Romano's neck.

Romano hesitated for just a moment, then scurried off and hurriedly scribbled the address of the warehouse onto a small piece of paper and handed it to Josef.

"There, now that wasn't so difficult, was it Romano?" Josef said half mockingly, turning to leave and at that point Romano made the biggest mistake of his life, when he opened his mouth and said,

"You know, for someone who used to be a Priest, you're not a very nice person. Josef Kostan"

Josef turned around and regarded him coldly for a moment, before he reached out and grabbed Romano around the throat, raising him off the floor and snapping his neck with one simple flick of his wrist.

"That's one mistake you'll never make again" Josef thought to himself with a cold smile, before dropping Romano's lifeless body to the floor.

"It's a Warehouse" Josef said, as he walked back through the doors of Ryder's study and handed him the slip of paper with the address that Romano had scrawled on it. "Gregor purchased it recently"

"Right, well" Ryder said, looking at the piece of paper Josef had just given to him, "let's see what we can find"

With that he turned back to the blinking, whirring equipment and once again began to tap out a series of commands. A few minutes later he'd pulled up a copy of the Warehouses municipal blue prints and had them displayed on the screen in front of him.

"Ok" he said, pointing at the screen "there's security cameras here, here....here and here" indicating exactly where they were at the same time.

"Can you tap into them?" Josef asked and Ryder flashed him a smile that said "_what? Are you stupid or something, of course I can tap into them_" and began to type out another series of commands.

"Ok, there I've got it. I can remotely control the direction of the cameras from here. Let's take a look around shall we"

Mick and Josef hovered over the screen as Ryder began to sweep the warehouse's security cameras over the area, displaying the resulting images on the screen in front of them.

"Beth!" Mick said excitedly, waving at the screen as an image of Beth's face appeared before them "Beth!"

"She can't see you, you moron" Ryder laughingly scoffed.

"Oh...Oh I knew that" Mick tried to pretend and looked very sheepish at the same time.

"Yes, well" Josef interrupted "can you tell us exactly where she is in relation to those blueprints"

"Just give me a moment" Ryder said with a cocky smile, as his fingers danced over the keys. "Ok, that camera is transmitting from here" he said, pointing to an area of the blueprints displayed on the screen. That's where Beth is".

"Ok" Josef nodded, "now what about Gregor, he's got to be there too; can you locate him"

"Sure" Ryder said, tapping the arrow keys on the keyboard; remotely direct the security cameras until he found what he was looking for.

"Right, I've got him" Ryder said, pointing to the image on the screen.

Josef and Mick stared at the images in front of them. They could see Gregor moving around; picking up different flasks of dark liquid, swirling the contents; recording various notes on a hand held electronic notepad of somekind, in what appeared to be some sort of laboratory setup.

"What's he up to?" Mick asked, trying to work out exactly what he was looking at.

"What do you think?" Josef responded "Remember Lola?"

"Yeah, but" Mick shook his head "it can't be that. Beth wasn't restrained in anyway, when Lola was draining the Vamp's blood she kept them in vats of liquid silver so they couldn't move".

"Mick, Beth doesn't have to be restrained" Josef explained gently "not if she knows the only way she's going to get a fix is to allow Gregory to drain some of her blood".

"You mean she's participating in this" Mick gestured at the screen in disbelief, "willingly?"

"No. No not exactly" Josef replied "It's obvious she's not free to just leave whenever she wants to, but yes she probably is agreeing to certain things in order to get what she needs. Addiction can be a very powerful thing, Mick"

"Shit" Mick muttered, taking a few moments to absorb what Josef had just said, before he took a deep breath and then asked simply "Ok, so how do we get her out of there?"

Josef directed Ryder to show the blueprints of the warehouse to him again and studied them carefully, taking mental notes of all the exits and entry points, both inside and outside the building and checking their position in relation to where Beth was being held and where they would most likely find Gregor.

"Ok" Josef began to say a few minutes later, as Mick looked on appreciatively. This was Josef, the supreme predator in control of the situation, "Ryder, can you set this equipment up in a Van and remotely control these security cameras from just outside the building"

"I think so, I'll need to rewire some stuff and..." Ryder started to explain but Josef held up his hand to stop him.

"I don't need to know the technical details" he stated "just tell me if you can do it or not"

"Yes. Yes I can manage that" Ryder replied.

"Good" Josef nodded and then turned to Mick

"Ok, you and I will come in through this point" he directed, indicating a point on the blueprints in front of them, "we'll move along this corridor" he pointed out the direction he intended them to take "before we split up, here" once again he showed Mick the point of reference on the screen "You, then take this corridor here" he traced an area of the blueprints with his finger, "and find Beth. In the meantime I will make my way along these corridors" again he traced the directions on the screen with his finger, "and take care of Gregor"

"Any questions?" he finished.

"Just one, what about an Alarm system or security codes on the doors?" Mick responded.

Josef turned to Ryder "You can take care of those can't you?" he said, the words coming out as more of a statement rather than a question.

"Absolutely" Ryder replied, nodding his head confidently.

"Ok, anymore questions?" Josef asked, looking at Mick and Ryder as they both looked at each other and then back at him and shook their heads.

"Let's go then" he snarled.

It took Ryder three hours to secure a suitable van and set his equipment up in the back of it. In the meantime, Josef and Mick used the time to study the blue prints and go over the plan one last time.

"What about other Vampires? Guards around the room where Beth is?" Mick asked

"There won't be, not Vampires at least. Gregor likes to work alone, he's not going to risk some other Vamp muscling in on his territory" Josef explained.

"Humans then?"

"Probably. He'll have at least a few wannabe gangsters working for him"

"Who is this Gregor guy anyway, Josef? You haven't really told me that part of the story"

"He's an...an old aquaintance. That's all you need to know" Josef responded simply and Mick eyed him a little suspiciously, certain that there was far more to this than what Josef was revealing to him.

"Josef?"

"Mick. not now, ok. Please" Josef held up his hand "who Gregor is or how I know him is not important, let's just worry about getting Beth back "

Mick looked thoughtful for a moment then nodded his head in agreeance, certain that whatever it was Josef didn't want to tell him, he must have his reasons.

"You guys about ready to roll" Ryder called out, poking his head around the door "Van's all set to go"

Josef stood up and started moving towards the door, ready to follow Ryder out to the waiting vehicle, when he felt Mick's hands reaching out for him, grabbing him by the shoulders, turning him around and pulling him back towards him.

Mick wrapped his arms around Josef, in a tight embrace and whispered to him "I love you"

"What?" Josef broke the embrace and held Mick at arm's length "Mick, I know that" he said with a slightly bewildered smile then saw the worried look on Mick's face and drew him in again, whispering to him as he did "I love you too"

"Come on" Josef said softly a few seconds later, pulling away from Mick once more and touching his face gently "it'll be ok. Let's go"

"What I don't understand, Josef" Ryder began to say, as the drove the Van to the Warehouse where Beth was being held, "is why you willingly parted with five million Euros of your money, to save Beth?"

Josef threw his hands in the air and responded with sheer exasperation "What is so hard to understand?"

Ryder started to say something else but Josef cut him off "Look, there is a big difference between fantasising about cheerfully throttling the silly bi..." he looked at Mick and smiled graciously "the silly _Beth_, and actually wanting her to die" he took a deep breath "For whatever reason, Mick has decided that Beth is a friend and that's good enough for me to pay any amount of money to try and save her or help her or...whatever"

Ryder was silent for a moment, before he shrugged and just said, "Fair enough" and Mick reached for Josef's hand and leant over to give him a kiss.

"Thank you" he said, with genuine sincerity, as Josef returned his kiss.

"Errr guys" Ryder said, pointing to a large building looming up in front of them "if you can tear yourselves away from one another for just one moment, we're here"

Josef quickly scanned the area in front of them. "Park there" he directed, pointing to an area that was shrouded by a couple of large trees.

Ryder pulled the Van into the spot Josef had indicated to him, cut the engine and then climbed into the back and, just as before, began to type a series of commands into the computer in front of him.

"Ok, I've got access to the security camera's again" he said, tapping a sequence of keys experimentally "I can remotely control them from here"

"Good" Josef replied "Do a quick sweep and tell us if there is anyone else in there, besides Beth and Gregor"

Ryder's hand deftly tapped out another series of commands, this time directing the camera's inside the building that Mick and Josef were about to enter.

"Ok, there" he said a few moments later, pointing to the images on the screen "you've got one just at the first entrance, then another one, here and two more...right there"

Josef studied the screen carefully, jotting down mental notes. "You ready?" he said, turning to Mick.

"Let's do this" Mick nodded, as he replied.

"Ryder, kill the alarm and get those doors open for us, now" Josef instructed.

"Aye Aye Cap'n"

Once Ryder had completed that task, Mick and Josef exited the Van and slipped quietly into the shadows; moving swiftly towards the Warehouse in front of them. Reaching their planned entry point, Josef sniffed at the air and pricked his ears up; scenting and listening for the exact position of the guard that Ryder had indicated was standing just behind it.

Josef pointed to the door and started a silent countdown on his fingers

one...two...three.

Mick pushed open the door and Josef rushed in; grabbing the human guard, before he even had time to register what was happening, and snapping his neck with one neat flick of his arm.

one down four to go.

Completely Vamped out; Josef especially enjoying the thrill of the hunt; they moved along the route they had already mapped out until they reached the point where they intended to go their seperate ways.

"Go get Beth" Josef mouthed silently and pointed in the opposite direction, indicating to Mick where he was headed. "I love you"

"Ditto" Mick silently mouthed back to him and moved swiftly down the corridor towards the room where they knew Beth was being held. Only a few metres along, he encountered the second human guard; presumably either just leaving for or just coming back from a break. He saw the stunned look on the guys face (_"christ he can't be more than twenty"_) as he reached for the gun at his side and frantically tried to unlock the safety on it...he didn't stand a chance. In one sudden and fluid movement of speed, Mick had reached him and smashed his head against the wall; knocking him out cold.

Josef, in the meantime, had rushed the Laboratory area and snapped the necks of the two guards; with one almighty predatory roar, before Gregor even had a chance to turn around. Facing Josef now, he looked at him and smirked,

"Father Lucias, come to damn my eternal soul then I see" he said, or at least that is what he would have said if Josef hadn't covered the distance between them with a speed born of pure hatred and fury and torn his head clean from his shoulders with one powerful twist of his hands.

"F...." was the only sound Gregor made, just before he died.

Moving further along the corridor, Mick finally entered Beth's room and hurriedly put his fingers to his lips and gestured for her to be quiet as she opened her mouth to try and speak. She looked at him and nodded, watching as he cocked his head and listened to the sounds around him. She wasn't quite used to using her own Vampire senses just yet, but they both heard Josef's roar of triumph as he killed Gregor with his bare hands.

"All clear" they heard Josef call out, after a few seconds anxious wait, and Mick let out a deep sigh of relief and went to Beth's side.

"Mick. Oh my god, Mick. I'm so glad to see you, I'm so sorry" Beth spluttered as Mick put his arm around her.

"Save that for later" he said gently as he helped her to her feet and started to lead her out of the building; towards the Van parked outside, "let's just get you out of here"


	10. Chapter 9

The Van ride back to Cologne was spent in relative silence, Beth sniffing quietly into Mick's shoulder as Mick wrapped his arms around her and flashed apologetic looks to Josef.

"We're here folks" Ryder announced eventually, pulling into the parking space near his house.

"Come on" Mick said to Beth gently "let's get you inside". He waited until Josef had climbed out of the back of the Van first and then followed behind him, helping Beth out of the Van and leading her inside Ryder's house; as she leant against him and rested her head on his shoulder. Once they were inside, and Mick had sat Beth down on Ryder's couch, the floodgates burst open.

"Mick, oh my god Mick" Beth spluttered, throwing her arms around Mick's neck, "I was so scared" she pulled away from him and reached up to touch his face gently "You saved me"

"Shh, Beth it's ok" Mick soothed gently, drawing her in for another hug as he whispered to her softly, "I'm so sorry for what I said before, I didn't mean any of it" referring to their previous fight.

Beth held Mick at arms length and looked at him earnestly "I know Mick, I know" she said gently "It's ok, it's all ok now Mick. I'm here, you're here, it's all going to be ok" She held his gaze for a few moments, looking at him and smiling with deep affection, before she leant in closer and brushed her lips against his.

She felt Mick tense up and then push her away "What? Mick, what's wrong?" she asked him, her face clouded with confusion and frustration as her eyes followed the line of Mick's gaze; towards where Josef stood.

"Him" she roared furiously, stabbing her finger in Josef's direction then throwing her hands up in the air, "Mick, for god sake you cannot be serious"

"Beth" Mick said firmly, grabbing her wrists and holding her hands away from him as she tried to reach for him again "I know you haven't had fifty years to accept this, and I am truly, deeply sorry for that" he paused for a moment, allowing the words time to sink in, before he continued; speaking to her as gently but firmly as he possibly could, "but I am with Josef now and that is something you have to accept"

He looked over at Josef and smiled at him lovingly and in that moment Josef was almost certain he had never been surer of anything in his entire life. In that instant, that singular glance across a room, Josef had made a decision and he returned Mick's smile with equal amounts of warmth and affection.

"But Mick?" Beth started to say, struggling to break free from his grasp; certain that if she could just reach him; just kiss him again once, she could change his mind.

"No Beth" Mick told her firmly, increasing his grip on her wrists "No, ok?"

"No Mick, it's not ok" she snapped "this is ridiculous, you can't seriously tell me that you still want to be with Josef" adding in a plaintive little girlish voice, "not now that I'm back"

"Beth, No. Listen to me, ok" Mick continued to try and reason with her firmly "Josef was not and is not just an interim thing for me while I waited for you to wake up"

Still refusing to hear what Mick was trying to tell her, she continued to struggle desperately and opened her mouth again to protest the words he was speaking.

"Don't" he said, asking her to look at him and seeing the pain and confusion in her eyes "I love him Beth." he told her as gently as possible, almost pleading with her for her understanding "I know it's hard for you to accept that, but it's just the way it is. Ok? I love Josef, I am with Josef now and whatever we had in the past is over"

Beth stopped struggling, the expression on her face growing cold and distant "Fine then" she announced matter of factly, as she yanked her wrists out of Mick's grasp and stood up "well, if that's the way things are I guess there's nothing here for me then"

She turned away from Mick and headed for the door, but Ryder quickly stepped in front of her and blocked her exit.

"Sorry little lady" he told her with a firm smile "you're not going anywhere"

"Get out of my way Ryder" she snarled, flashing her Vampire face at him and baring her fangs.

"Can't do that" he replied and flashed his own Vampire visage back at her. Ryder rarely showed his full Vampire side and when he did, he could look absolutely terrifying. Beth stared at him, momentarily stunned, before she heard Mick speaking to her.

"Beth? You came to me for help, remember?" he started to say, as Beth looked around the room nervously "We want to help you" he continued gently "just come and sit back down and we can talk about it, ok?"

'What is this? She laughed nervously "an intervention?"

"Yeah that's exactly what it is" Josef glared at her "now sit down, shut up and listen before I start intervening on your arse"

"Shut up Josef" she snapped back at him as she folded her arms defensively across her chest "I'm not speaking to you".

Josef went to step forward and say something to challenge her in response, but Mick beat him to it.

"How dare you speak to him like that" he hissed at her, as he moved at Vamp speed to cover the distance between them and grabbed her roughly by the arm; yanking her around to face him "You ungrateful little bitch" he spat in her face, "do you have any idea what Josef did for you?" he saw the stunned look on Beth's face, as her eyes flew wide open and she let out a little gasp of surprise at the sheer strength of emotion that Mick was displaying. "Josef," Mick continued, his voice shaking with barely contained anger "paid five million deutschmark of his own money to try and save you Beth. It was Josef who planned and organised your rescue and it's Josef's contacts that are going to try and help you now" he paused to take a deep breath and then roared at her furiously "So sit down and Shut Up!"

Beth stood there, frozen for a moment, until she finally managed to stammer contritely "O-o-k, I'm s-s-s-orry J-j-osef" and slowly returned to her seat on the couch, looking up at Josef guiltily every so often.

Mick, now calm, sat back down beside her and nodded to Josef as Josef produced a small pamphlet from the pocket of his jacket and slowly walked over to Beth and squatted down on the floor beside her.

"What is this?" she asked, her hands trembling slightly as she took the proffered pamphlet from Josef's hand.

"It's the help you need" Josef told her gently, trying to be as understanding as possible despite her previous outburst towards him, as Mick looked on with equal amounts of sympathy and gratitude.

Beth looked down at the pamphlet in her hands and then glanced apprehensively around the room. "What sort of help?" she asked in a tiny voice.

"It's a program Beth" Mick told her gently, "a rehab program designed specifically for fledgling Vampires who have developed a problem with substance abuse"

"I'd have to stay at this place?" she asked quietly.

"For a while" Mick told her softly, as he reached over to take her hand and added "at least until you're better"

Beth flinched slightly and swallowed audibly as Mick's hand touched hers, before she relaxed a little and her fingers gradually closed around his. She grasped Mick's hand tightly, feeling the little reassuring squeeze that he gave her, and silently prayed that he wouldn't let go.

"So what happens here?" she asked, still a little uncertain. "What do they do?"

"You'll be given regular doses of pure child's blood to drink" Josef started to explain, quickly reassuring her that it was "all from perfectly legitimate donors who are not harmed in anyway" when he saw the look of disgust on her face.

"Child's blood that matches my specific blood type? How does that help me?" she began to question, looking perplexed, as Josef held up one hand and gestured for her to just be quiet and listen.

"Pure child's blood to replace all the impure blood you've been taking in lately" he explained carefully "it will help your body to heal from the addiction"

"Because the blood I take in becomes part of me? And if I take in bad blood then that becomes part of me too, until I replace it with cleaner blood? Is that right?" she asked expectantly, looking at Josef and waiting for some sort of clarification from him.

Josef looked at her and nodded "That's right"

"Ok" she nodded her head understandingly, although the tone of her voice was still hesitant "what else then?"

"It's a really good program Beth" Ryder piped up encouragingly "I know someone who went through it a few years ago. They have individual counselling and group sessions and all sorts of different activities, all designed to help you to come to terms with the transistion from human to vampire. Read the pamphlet"

She looked down and studied the pamphlet in her hand for a moment, then pulled her other hand away from Mick's and began to turn the pages over slowly, reading each section carefully; her brow furrowing with concentration.

"So when would I be going?" she asked, directing the question to noone in particular, after several minutes had elapsed.

"Right now" Josef responded "I have the plane on standby"

"What about my clothes? Toiletries? Things I'll need"

"We can arrange to have all that sent to you" Mick replied.

Beth fell silent for a few more moments before she spoke again, the sound of her voice barely audible; but not so that Josef, Ryder and Mick couldn't hear what she said

"OK then, let's go", she whispered, half with nervous anticipation and then heard Mick and Ryder let out a cheer before they both spontaneously reached over and enfolded her warmly in their arms.

Still sitting on his haunches beside them, Josef watched the three of them as they hugged; rolling his eyes and sighing deeply as he muttered under his breath.

"Oh, what the hell" and then allowed himself to be drawn into a group embrace.

"All's well that end's well, right?" Josef said several hours later, kissing Mick's hair softly as the two of them sat together on their couch back in Salzburg and Mick leant back against him; settling happily into his arms.

They had managed to get Beth on the plane, bound for Hagen where the Rehab centre was located, without too much hassle and although she looked crestfallen when she heard that it was Ryder and not Mick who would be accompanying her, on the short flight, overall she had seemed positive about what lay ahead; albeit a little apprehensive at the same time. Once they had seen Ryder and Beth safely off, they had returned to Ryder's; for Josef to collect his stuff; and then headed back home to Salzburg, together.

"Mmm hmmm" Mick replied, smiling to himself as he absentmindedly traced circles over Josef's arm with the tip of his fingers. Suddenly he sat up and turned around to face Josef, a wide grin spreading over his face as he looked at him and raised one eyebrow expectantly.

"What?" Josef asked a little suspiciously, a questioning smile twinkling in the corners of his eyes.

"Aren't you supposed to be taking me out on some dates?"

Josef laughed merrily and kissed Mick warmly on the mouth "Ok then, what did you have mind?"

"I don't know" Mick replied, turning around again and settling back into Josef's arms once more. "Remember you've always said you'd love to hire a Ferrari and go for a drive through the Alps?" he said after a few moments thought.

"Yeah?"

"Well, why don't we do that then?"

"Hire a Ferrari and go for a drive through the Alps?" Josef asked, clarifying Mick's suggestion.

"Yeah, why not" Mick responded happily "We could do it tomorrow night"

"OK then, why not" Josef replied as he drew his arms around Mick's chest and embraced him tightly, "tomorrow night a Ferrari ride through the Alps it is then. I just need to do something first though" he added, trying to keep the tone of his voice as nonchalant as possible.

"Oh yeah, like what?" Mick asked.

"Nothing important" Josef replied, still trying to sound very matter of fact, sensing Mick's growing interest in knowing exactly what "nothing important" actually was and quickly adding "it's a surprise ok".

"First things first though" he said then, before Mick had a chance to question him further, with a salacious smile "I want a proper welcome home"

And he bent his head towards Mick's lips and crushed his mouth against his in a passionate kiss.

"Are you coming?" Mick heard Josef calling out to him from the Ferrari parked just outside their house, as he gunned the engine impatiently.

"Yeah alright, keep your fangs in" Mick quipped as he stepped outside and quickly jumped into the passenger side seat.

"Wow, nice wheels"

"You like?" Josef said with a grin

"Yeah"

"Good, 'cause I just bought it"

Mick laughed and shook his head. "Hey did you get done what you needed to do?" he asked, looking at Josef with a sly smile "so where's my surprise".

"How do you know the surprise is for you?"

Mick looked at Josef and arched one eyebrow, as if to say "_are you kidding, who else is it going to be for me_"

Josef looked back at him a little sheepishly "Yes, well. You'll get _your_ surprise when the time is right"

"Don't I even get a little hint" Mick asked, putting on a hound dog expression.

"Nope" Josef laughed and stepped on the accelerator, the Ferrari lurching forward with a screeching of rubber.

"So where are we headed then?" he asked Mick.

"I don't know, just drive I guess, head up through the Alps; we'll find something to do" Mick replied with a slightly wicked tone in his voice.

"Oh yeah?" Josef looked at him curiously "What are you up to Mick St John?"

"Oh nothing" he replied, all faux innocent like. He waited until they were winding around a road through the Alps and inserted a small coded computer chip into the dashboard of the car and pressed a series of buttons. Soon the refrains, played at full volume, of Roadhouse Blues by the Doors filled the air around them.

"_Keep your eyes on the road, your hands upon the wheel_" Jim Morrison's voice sang out.

"Just do what he says" Mick told Josef with a sly grin, as he lowered his head to his lap and quickly unzipped his pants, releasing his growing erection into his mouth.

"For fuck's sake Mick" Josef gasped as he felt Mick's lips wrap themselves around his cock "You'll make me crash the car, wait until I pull over somewhere"

"We're Vampires, we'll survive" Mick mumbled as he worked his lips and tongue around his shaft.

"Not if the car explodes in a ball of flame, Mick" he replied, tightening his grip on the steering wheel and trying to concentrate on the road in front of him.

"You want me to stop then?" Mick smiled as he looked up at him.

"I didn't say that" Josef responded, pushing Mick's head back towards his lap and looking for somewhere suitable to turn off at the same time.

After another half a kilometre or so, he suddenly swerved the car off the main road; tyres blowing up dust and gravel; and headed down a small dirt track until he was sure they were out of the sight of any curious onlookers that might be driving by.

As soon as he'd bought the car to a stop, Mick leapt out and stood by the front of the car, looking at Josef, challenging him to come and get him.

"Get back here you" Josef commanded with a laugh.

"You'll have to catch me first" Mick replied and turned to run, but Josef was too quick for him. Moving at Vamp speed he leapt out of the drivers seat and rounded the car in one swift fluid movement; grabbing Mick around the waist and flipping him down onto the bonnet of the car.

"You were saying?" he said with a salacious laugh, as he kicked Mick's legs open and reached around him to unzip his pants and release his erection into his hand; working his fingers lightly over the shaft, eliciting a hiss of appreciation from Mick.

Mick reached back and reached for Josef's cock, wanting to pleasure him at the same time, but Josef grabbed his hand and then pinned both of them above his head; he couldn't risk Mick feeling the small package he had in his pocket.

"No you don't" he whispered to him, as he rang his tongue along the back of his neck "I'm in control here"

He felt a shiver of anticipation run through Mick's body as he continued stroking his cock with one hand and swiftly pulled his pants down to his knees with the other.

"Josef?" Mick said, looking slightly confused as he felt Josef's hand run over his arse "we don't have any lubricant?"

"Mick, when are you going to learn" Josef said leaning down and whispering in his ear "there's always lubricant"

"Wait there" he commanded.

"Yeah ok Josef" Mick laughed "and where exactly do you think I'm going to go with my pants around my knees"

"Just for that" Josef told him with a sardonic smile, as he returned carrying a small bottle of engine oil he'd found in the trunk of the car "I'm going to fuck your brains loose. That'll teach you not to be so cheeky with me Mick St John"

"Promises promises" Mick started to say, and then noticed what Josef had in his hand.

"Josef, for fucksake we can't use that" he said, staring at the bottle of engine oil in wide eyed shock.

"Mick, it's perfectly alright, necessity is the mother of invention you know"

"Yeah but" Mick started to say, still eyeing the bottle in Josef's hand suspiciously "is that actually safe to use"

"Well you're a Vampire Mick, so it's not like it's going to kill you" Josef laughed and then saw the serious look of concern in Mick's eyes and reassured him "it's ok, it's perfectly safe to use. Ok?"

"Just trust me" he whispered to Mick, as he pushed him back down onto the bonnet of the car and reached around, once more, to grab hold of his cock and stroke it slowly; feeling it harden in his hand as began Mick to writhe beneath him.

"I do trust you, Josef" Mick half stammered through the increasing waves of desire that were moving through his body.

"Good" Josef whispered to him simply and poured some of the oil over his fingers, rubbing it carefully around Mick's entrance before he pressed the tip of his erection against his arse and slowly entered him.

Mick gasped and pushed himself back against Josef's hips, wanting even more of him inside him. Josef paused for a moment, allowing Mick's body time to adjust to being penetrated and then slowly withdrew and thrust back into him, smiling with satisfaction at Mick's snarls of pleasure as he did.

He kept the rhythm slow at first, almost teasing, gradually increasing the pace until he was slamming into Mick so hard Mick was having trouble keeping his balance and Josef had to wrap one arm around his waist to support him.

"Oh fuck" Mick growled as Josef continued to thrust into him, the pace of his movements becoming increasing frantic as he moaned Mick's name and nipped at the back of his neck with his fangs.

He reached down and began to pump Mick's cock with his hand as he continued to pound into him, thrusting himself as deep as he could go into Mick's body, as Mick began to snarl and growl almost incoherently with pleasure. Suddenly Josef's entire body tensed up and he threw back his head and roared with release as the first waves of orgasm began to wash over him and he bent his head to Mick's neck and sank his fangs hard into the soft flesh; snarling and almost convulsing as the pulsations of his orgasm tore through him.

The sharp, painful, but euphoric sensation of Josef's fangs penetrating his neck pushed Mick over the edge and sent him spiralling into his own climactic release, snarling and growling with pleasure as he grabbed for Josef's arm and bit sharply into his wrist.

Once the last pulses of their almost mutual orgasm had subsided, they both collapsed together, onto the ground just in front of the car Josef drew his arms around Mick's neck; holding him close as Mick nuzzled his head into Josef's shoulder and tried to catch his breath.

"Happy my beloved" Josef whispered to him, kissing the top of his head tenderly.

"Very" Mick replied softly as he closed his eyes and revelled in the feel and scent of the man he loved lying next to him.

Several hundred miles away, Beth Turner looked down at the glass of blood in front of her suspiciously.

"You're sure this child's blood is from willing donors who weren't harmed" she asked again for the third time that day.

The attendant that was assigned to look after her for the evening was new and completely unaware of the little white lie that Beth had been told in order to get her into the program.

"Willing donors?" he said, looking at her as if she was half mad.

"Yes, willing donors" Beth repeated with growing annoyance.

"Ma'am" the attendant began to explain to her slowly "no children are harmed but nor are they willing donors"

"Then just how exactly is the blood obtained then" Beth asked darkly, folding her arms over her chest and scowling at the attendant.

"Hospitals and Doctors around the country" he explained "we have a number of medical professionals on the payroll who take a little extra blood during routine blood tests and ship it to us"

"Great" Beth muttered under her breath, then pushed herself away from the table and rushed out of the room.

The attendant hurriedly pressed the automatic contact button on his radio and spoke to the director of the centre, quickly apprising him of the situation just as Beth stormed into his office.

"You lied to me" she shouted at him "I was told that the blood came from willing donors"

"Beth" he said gently, trying to calm her "I can assure you that the children we obtain the blood from are not harmed in anyway"

"That's not the point" Beth told him, throwing her hands in the air in complete exasperation "the point is, I am supposed to trust you to help me and how am I meant to do that when you lie to me"

"Maybe you're just looking for an excuse to leave" the director challenged her.

"Maybe I am" Beth replied, looking at him coldly before announcing "I can do this on my own, I don't need you or this place" and then turning and heading back to her room; quickly packing her bags and then walking out the door without so much as a backwards glance.

"Josef?" Mick said, raising himself up onto one shoulder and looking down at Josef's face "when are you going to let me know what my surprise is" he asked with a challenging little smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

"Well if I tell you what the surprise is, Mick, and then it's not going to be a surprise anymore is it" Josef laughed and then added "when the time is right"

"Oh yeah? And when is that going to be?" Mick laughed back at him.

"When the time-" Josef began to say"

"-is right" Mick finished for him, rolling in his eyes in mock exasperation.

"Exactly. Come on" Josef said then "I'm starting to get uncomfortable lying on the ground here, we should get going"

"Josef?" Mick asked as they drove back to Salzburg.

"What Mick?"

"Did you miss me when you were gone?"

"What? What sort of a question is that?" Josef responded with some bemusement "of course I did"

"How often did you think of me?" Mick asked

"Every second of every minute of every hour of every day" Josef told him with a merry little laugh.

Mick thought of saying something witty and sarcastic for a moment, but instead he reached for Josef's hand and pressed it tenderly to his lips.

"Me too" he whispered to him sincerely and Josef smiled and stroked the back of Mick's hand with his forefinger.

"I love you Mick, you know that don't you"

"I'm starting to get that impression Josef" Mick replied cheekily.

"Hallelujah" Josef exclaimed sarcastically "it's about time" and then pretended to duck as Mick playfully pretended to hit him over the head.

When they finally arrived home, the first thing that greeted them as they walked in the door was the almost insistent ring of the telephone.

Mick took the phone off the receiver and spoke into it, as Josef wrapped his arms around him and kissed his neck.

"Hello?"

Seeing the expression on Mick's face darken, as he listened to what the mystery caller on the other end of the line as telling him, Josef halted his display of affection and regarded Mick with concern and questioning.

"I see" he heard Mick say "thanks for letting me know"

Replacing the handset back into it's cradle, Mick looked at Josef and let out a deep sigh "That was the Rehab Centre" he said sadly, shaking his head "Beth's just walked out"

"Oh Mick, I'm sorry" was all Josef could think of to say, as he wrapped his arms around Mick and held him tightly.

"_Damn it"_ Josef thought to himself darkly as he tried to comfort Mick. He had planned on ending the night with a romantic session of more love making on the floor in front of their open fire place, followed by the presentation of his surprise; the timing definitely wasn't right now though.

"_Damn it_" he thought to himself again, with rising annoyance and frustration "_that woman always ends up ruining everything_"

"Mick?" Josef said gently the following evening, as Mick sat glumly on the couch and stared at the wall in front of him.

"Mmm" he replied monosyllabically.

"Look" Josef said, sitting down next to him and handing him a piece of paper "this came in the mail today. We've been invited to Ryder's place for a costume party tomorrow night. Could be fun?"

"Maybe" Mick shrugged.

"Mick" Josef took his hand in his and tried to speak to him as understandingly yet firmly as possible "I know you're worried about Beth, but at some point there comes a time when you have to let go. You can't save her from herself you know"

"I know" Mick whispered sadly.

"Come on then" Josef said, standing up and pulling Mick to his feet. "You can't sit around here all night moping, we're going out"

"Where?"

"There's an all night costume shop just near Wolf Dietrich Strasse, we can go find something to wear tomorrow night"

Mick shrugged nonchalantly and smiled wanly "Yeah ok, I guess so" he said, letting Josef lead him out the door.

"What about this one?" Josef asked, holding up a bikers costume for Mick to inspect.

"Josef" he replied, rolling his eyes, "I'd look like one of the Village People in that.

Josef laughed and went back to searching through the racks of costumes.

"Ooh look at this" he heard Mick exclaim excitedly "I've found the perfect costume for you" and with that he proudly displayed a perfect replica of a Priests cassock to Josef, with a wide smile.

It was the first time since the news about Beth, that Josef had seen Mick genuinely smile; even so he looked nervously at the costume in Mick's hand and instantly snapped the word "No" at him.

"Why not?" Mick asked looking a little bewildered "it's perfect for you, imagine the irony of you dressed as a Priest"

"_yes, just imagine the irony_" Josef thought to himself and mentally rolled his eyes.

"Oh come on" he heard Mick pleading with him "just try it on. Please. For me"

Josef hesitated for a moment and then sighed and reluctantly accepted the costume from Mick's outstretched arms. As loathe as he was to do this, the idea of it seemed to be making Mick happy at least.

He headed into the small curtained change room at the back of the shop, with Mick following closely behind.

"Do you mind?" Josef said almost haughtily "I'd like some privacy thank you"

"And I want to watch you get changed" Mick replied simply, folding his arms over his chest and smiling at Josef.

"Oh ok, suit yourself" he pulled the curtains drawn part way, leaving a small gap for Mick to peek through.

"What's up with you anyway, Josef?" Mick asked.

"Nothing, I'm fine. Now just let me get this blasted thing on alright"

"Alright, geez" Mick huffed.

He watched as Josef quickly shed his clothes and hurriedly pulled the costume on, looking at him curiously as he hesitated for a moment and then kissed the embroidered cross on the purple stole and muttered something that Mick couldn't understand, before he placed the stole around his neck.

"What did you do that for?" Mick questioned, looking at him a little bemused as Josef emerged from the change room "with the stole, I mean"

"I was praying for immortality in the afterlife" Josef replied simply "it's what a Priest does"

"Wow, you're really getting into this aren't you" Mick laughed "I told you the costume was perfect for you"

Josef continued standing there, shifting nervously from one foot to the other and picking imaginary strands of lint of the sleeves of the black cassock. Mick regarded him for a moment; there was something different about Josef in those robes. He looked almost...

"Holy Shit!" Mick exclaimed suddenly, his hand flying to his mouth in shock as the penny finally dropped. "You?" he mouthed, pointing at Josef.

Josef looked at the ground uncomfortable and then looked up at the ceiling, swallowed hard and then looked Mick directly in the eye. "Yes Mick, me. Surprised?"

"Surprised doesn't even begin to cover it, Josef" Mick replied "You. Were a Priest?

"Yes" Josef sighed

"You were a Priest?" Mick repeated.

"Yes" Josef replied with increasing exasperation.

"You"

"Were a Priest" Josef finished for him, rolling his eyes and sighing deeply. "Haven't we already established that?"

"Ok, I'm sorry...it's just..."

Josef flashed him a warning look and turned back towards the change room "I'm taking this off" he muttered, but Mick grabbed his arm to stop him.

"Don't, please. Leave it on" and with that he dragged Josef to the front counter and hurriedly payed the hire fee for the costume and then pulled him outside onto the street, before Josef had a chance to protest.

They walked together in silence for a moment, Mick glancing sideways at Josef before he finally asked.

"So what happened?"

"What do you mean what happened?" Josef replied.

"Why did you leave the church?"

"I found God" Josef replied sarcastically.

"Beg yours?" Mick looked at him with total confusion.

Josef took a deep breath and then began to explain the whole story to Mick. When he'd finished, Mick merely stood there and looked at him dumbfounded for a few moments.

"Gregor sired you?" he said finally, shaking his head almost in disbelief.

"Yes." he repeated "I was ordained to the Ordo Praedictorum; the Dominican Order" he quickly added "We were renowned as seekers of knowledge and mystical experience with God. Gregor knew that and he offered me the ultimate truth and knowledge of God."

"And what did you find out?" Mick asked; his attention completely focused on what Josef was telling him.

"That God does not exist" Josef replied matter of factly, then paused for a moment before trying his best to explain things further "You have to understand, I prayed for immortality every single day. I wholeheartedly believed in the righteousness and justice of a God who would grant me ever lasting life, so long as I obeyed his word. Then along come Gregor and all of a sudden I'm granted immortality, not in heaven but on earth, not by God but by a Vampire. I was an immortal creature of darkness, something the Church had always taught was unholy and evil and an abomination in God's eyes"

"Yet there was no lightning bolt from heaven to strike you down" Mick said

"Exactly. From that moment on I lost my faith completely and turned my back on the Church forever"

"Wow" was all Mick could say after he thought about what Josef had just told him.

"Yes, well" Josef replied, exhaling deeply "now you know"

"You never told me any of this before, Josef"

"I've never told anyone any of this, Mick" he replied "Only myself and Gregor knew about my past life. Oh except for that stupid little mortal prat Romano" he added venomously "Gregor must have let it slip to him"

They walked together in silence once more, making their way back home, through the streets of Salzburg, when Mick suddenly and impulsively blurted out.

"Do something Priestly"

"You what?" Josef replied, staring at Mick in disbelief.

"Go on, please. Do something a Priest would do?"

"Like what exactly?"

"I don't know? Bless me" Mick replied excitedly.

"I'll bless you in a minute Mick if you don't shut up" Josef half growled at him.

"Oh go on, please, for me" Mick pleaded.

"Oh for god sake. Alright then" Josef sighed and then traced the sign of the cross in the air "In nomine Patre, Et Fillias, Et Spiritus Sancti"

"Cool" Mick grinned "Do something else"

"Perhaps you'd like me to break into a local Cathedral and perform Mass for you?" he quipped, then saw the eager look on Mick's face.

"Oh for the love of..." he rolled his eyes in exasperation "Mick. No. Alright, just No."

"Ok" Mick smiled at him sheepishly, as they finally arrived home.

They walked inside and Josef took a seat on the couch, as Mick knelt down in front of him, looking up at him with a wicked grin on his face.

"Are you going to take my confession? Father"

"If you like. My son" Josef laughed, deciding to play along with Mick's little game. He was beginning to feel more relaxed about the whole situation, now that it was finally out in the open.

"Bless me Father" Mick began "for I am about to sin" and with that he slid in-between Josef's legs and pressed himself along his body until he reached his lips and pressed his mouth fervently against them.

"Mick" Josef exclaimed in a slightly shocked tone "what are you doing?" I'm a..." he trailed off and mentally kicked himself, wearing this costume was having more of an affect on him than he first realised.

"You're a what? Josef?" Mick whispered to him seductively then quickly added "it's ok, you can pretend I'm an Altar boy"

"Mick. That's not funny" Josef scoffed. 'I was very pious back then, I just didn't do things like..._that_"

"Oh I realise that, Josef" Mick started to say contritely, then whispered to him again alluringly "but I'm going to corrupt you"

"I don't think you could corrupt me anymore than I've already corrupted myself, Mick" Josef started to say, but was halted mid sentence as he gasped at the sensation of Mick's hand reaching under the cassock he as wearing and squeezing his growing erection through the material of his black trousers.

Mick smiled at him seductively and then ran the tip of his tongue like a knife, just under his jaw and down along his neck, as he continued teasing him; squeezing his cock rhythmically through his clothing.

"Let me get out of these clothes, Mick" Josef whispered to him.

"No, leave it on" Mick whispered back, his breath hot and inviting on Josef's neck.

He knelt back down between Josef's legs and slowly pushed the black skirt of his robe up to his waist and then unzipped the trousers he was wearing underneath, releasing his erection into his parted lips.

Josef let out a snarl of appreciation and run his fingers through Mick's hair, as Mick worked his lips and tongue over his shaft; slowly taking more and more of him into his mouth and down his throat, while he unzipped his own pants and worked his hand over his cock at the same time.

After a few minutes, Mick stopped what he was doing; eliciting a growl of disappointment from Josef, and swiftly headed over to the small cabinet just next to the fireplace to retrieve one of the small bottles of scented oil that was kept in there.

Hurriedly returning to Josef's side he grabbed his legs and pulled him off the couch onto the floor beneath them, then frantically removed his pants and underwear, following suit with his own.

"My my" Josef quipped as Mick almost tore his pants off him "someone's a little eager"

"It's that costume" Mick whispered to him in breathless tones "you have no idea how fucking hot you look in that"

He pushed Josef's legs apart and felt him shudder with anticipation, flashing his fangs at him and letting out a snarl of desire, as Mick quickly spread a little of the oil over the tip of his cock and then around the entrance to Josef's arse.

He pressed the head of his penis against Josef's hole and then thrust into him with one sudden movement, causing Josef to arch his back and cry out, biting into Mick's shoulder at the same time as his body adjusted itself to the sudden assault of being entered so forcefully.

Mick paused for a second, allowing Josef time to recover slightly and then began to fuck him, slowly; easing his hard cock in and out of his passage with measured strokes; adjusting the angle of his penetration slightly as he did to ensure maximum pressure against Josef's prostate.

He gradually quickened the pace of his movements, withdrawing almost the full length of his cock and then thrusting back up into Josef's body with increasing intensity. He could hear Josef whispering and moaning breathlessly in Latin as he continued to pick up the pace and fuck him harder and harder. He had absolutely no idea what Josef was saying; he could have been praying for all he knew, or cared, all he did know was the sound of the words and the way Josef was speaking them, was driving him absolutely wild.

Mick could feel Josef's body beginning to tremble beneath him, as he clung to his back and dug his nails into his flesh, his eyes red rimmed and ice blue and his fangs fully extended. He snarled with pleasure and continued moaning in Latin, the words running together and becoming increasingly incoherent, as Mick's hard cock pounded into him over and over again. Mick sensed Josef was nearing orgasm and reached down between them, grabbing Josef's cock with his hand and pumping him rapidly; in time with the pace of his own frenetic thrusts, as Josef hung on the precipice of release and then finally sailed off the edge.

The feel of Josef's fangs sinking into his flesh, as Josef growled with the pleasure of his climax and bit sharply into Mick's neck at the same time, pushed Mick over the brink with him. Shuddering and snarling with the bliss of his own climactic release, Mick sank his own fangs deep into Josef's shoulder and rode the heights of orgasm with hedonistic abandon.

Their coupling finally spent, they collapsed into each others arms and lay together for a moment, their ragged breathing finally slowing down to a more regular pace as Josef gently stroked the back of Mick's head with his hand.

"Feeling better my beloved" he whispered to him a few moments later.

"Yeah" Mick replied simply "I am"

"Good" Josef said, kissing his forehead tenderly before he carefully pushed Mick off of him and stood up "Come on, we need to get some sleep".

He reached out his hand to help Mick up. They hadn't made it more than a couple of steps across the room when they heard a sharp rat-a-tat-tat at the door. Looking at Josef questioningly, Mick quickly moved to answer it, wondering who the hell it could be at this hour of the night.

"Beth?" he said with surprise as he opened the door to find her standing there in front of him.

"Hi Mick" she said breezily "I hope I'm not interrupting anything"

"As a matter of fact you are, Beth" Josef said a little too sharply as he walked over and stood by Mick's side "we were just about to get some sleep"

Beth looked at Josef curiously then looked back at Mick.

"Why is he dressed like that" she mouthed and Josef looked at her and smiled, whilst Mick merely shrugged; not knowing what to say.

"Oh umm ok" Beth said, looking slightly embarrassed "look I don't want to interfere with...ermm...whatever it is you two are doing. I just came to let you know that I'm fine, really" she continued, trying her best to sound positive and confident "I'm going to get my own place and look for a suitable job and definitely stay off the drugs"

"That's great Beth" Mick told her, smiling happily "Really, that's great to hear"

"Ok well, I really just dropped by to let you know everything is ok now, that's all" she replied with smile that was just a little too forced "Goodnight Mick. Goodnight Josef"

"Goodnight Beth" Mick said gently, whilst Josef waved his hand dismissively and muttered

"Good night"

Mick watched Beth turn away and walk off up the street and then closed the door behind her and turned to Josef.

"Well she sounds positive, that's good. Isn't it?" he asked with a smile of relief.

"She's a junkie, Mick" Josef responded plainly "I wouldn't believe a word that came out of her mouth. Now are you coming to bed or not?"

And without waiting for a response, Josef turned and walked up the stairs.

"Who was that on the phone" Josef mumbled sleepily as he came downstairs the following evening, just as Mick was putting the receiver down.

"Ryder" he replied "he's been called into work, some sort of crisis with the computer system or something. The parties been cancelled"

"Oh, that's a pity" Josef yawned "I suppose we never did end up finding a costume for you though, and at least I don't have to wear that blasted Priest's outfit again" he quickly added

"But you look so..." Mick started to say with a cheeky grin as he reached for Josef and pulled him towards him

"Hot in it?" Josef finished for him "I did kind of get the impression you thought that last night, Mick" he said with a sleepy smile.

Mick laughed and kissed him on the forehead "Good evening sleepyhead, do you need some blood to wake you up"

"That would be lovely" Josef responded appreciatively, reaching up to give Mick a quick kiss before he walked over the couch and reclined back against the armrest.

Mick poured a glass of blood for the both of them and joined Josef on the couch, waiting until Josef had drained the last of the crimson liquid in his glass, before he shifted closer and wrapped his arms around his neck.

"You up for round two" he whispered to him seductively.

Despite the salacious tone, there was something in Mick's voice which told Josef that he wasn't looking for sex. He was looking for a distraction. He gently rebuked his advances and pushed him away.

"No, Mick. I'm not doing this with you again"

"Sorry. What?" Mick replied looking utterly shocked and confused

"I don't mean the sex, Mick" Josef quickly reassured him "I mean, this, what you're doing now"

"And what am I doing, Josef?" Mick interrupted "apart from wanting to show some affection to the man who is supposed to be my partner?"

"I am your partner, Mick" Josef said gently "I just mean..." he paused trying to find the right words "I just want us to make love because we want to be with one another, not because either one of is using the other to distract themselves from certain issues"

"What issues, Josef" Mick sulked, crossing his arms defensively.

"You know what I'm talking about Mick" Josef replied matter of factly.

"Beth"

"Yes"

"I thought we'd been through all this before Josef, are you still worried about this? I don't have feeling for Beth anymore, ok?" he confirmed.

"I know that Mick, but you're worried about her. I can tell...and you want me to distract your from that"

"So?" Mick replied, still looking slightly dazed and confused at the entire conversation that was taking place.

"So? Don't you think it makes me feel the slightest bit used, Mick?"

Mick looked over at Josef, contritely "I'm sorry, I guess I never thought of it like that"

"Yeah well, it does ok"

"So what do you want to do instead then? Mick asked with genuine interest.

"What we always used to do before, Mick. Talk things through"

"Before? You mean before Beth came back?"

Josef hesitated for a moment, then responded "Yes" and then hurriedly added "Mick, you have to let her go. She's tearing you apart. She's tearing us apart"

"I can't" Mick sighed, looking down at the ground sadly "I just can't, alright. She's still a friend, Josef and she needs help"

"Oh Mick" Josef whispered gently, as he took Mick's face in his hand's and rested his forehead against his. "What am I going to do with you?"

"Hey you're a pompous ass and I'm an over sentimental moody little shit, we make a great pair don't we" Mick laughed wanly.

"Yeah, yeah we do" Josef replied with a laugh and kissed Mick tenderly on the lips, just before he stood up and extended his hand out to him.

"Come on, do you still want that distraction or not?" he asked and then took Mick by the hand and lead him up to the bedroom.


	11. Chapter 10

One week later, Mick answered a knock at the door to find a very bedraggled looking Beth standing there, her expression pleading with him to let her in.

He considered her for a moment and then turned and looked at Josef who was standing just behind him. Josef sighed and made a gesture with his hands to indicate "it's up to you, Mick"

Mick stepped to one side and motioned for Beth to come in. She hurriedly made her way through the door and over to the couch, whilst Josef took a seat at the opposite end and Mick grabbed a chair from the kitchen and sat directly in front of her. As soon as he had taken a seat, the floodgates open and she started blubbering hysterically, barely able to coherently get the words out she was trying to speak.

"Beth." Mick said firmly "Just calm down, take a deep breath and start from the beginning"

"I'm sorry, Mick. Josef. I'm so sorry, I tried I really tried but I just couldn't do it" she took a deep breath "I'm a mess; my whole life is a mess. I need help, please" she begged.

"You had help, Beth. Remember" Josef stated "I had to pull a lot of strings to get you into that place and you couldn't even manage to string together two days" he half snarled at her.

"I know Josef. I know and I am so...."

She was about to say sorry but Josef cut her off "It's no use being sorry after the fact, Beth"

Mick shot him a pleading look to "please don't do this now, Josef" and then turned to Beth.

"Why didn't you stay there?" he asked her gently, trying to keep the tone of his voice as least recriminating as possible.

"It just...it just didn't work out, ok" Beth replied and then added "but I do want to find somewhere else, another program, and one that is going to work for me. I mean it this time, I really do. I am going to get help"

"Yes, just like all the other times" Josef muttered under his breath and Mick flashed him a warning look that made Josef roll his eyes and quickly stand up.

"I'm going to the freezer" he muttered darkly, not bothering to bid either Beth or Mick a goodnight.

"Josef. Wait." Beth called out after him, "Please, I need you to hear this as well".

Josef hesitated for a moment and then resumed his seat on the couch: arms crossed over his chest; his expression almost challenging as if to say "go on I'm waiting for it and this better be good"

"It's just...." Beth paused, trying to find the right words for what she was about to ask "look...I know this is a really big favour to ask and I don't want to put you guy's to any trouble...god knows you've been good enough to me already" she added.

"But?" Josef challenged her

"But, I was just wondering...could I please stay here with you. Just for a little while, I promise" her eyes darted pleading from Mick to Josef and then back again.

She could hear Josef's teeth grinding together and hurriedly added, trying to plead her case "It would only be until I found a program I could go into and got back on my feet, got my own apartment and that. Please?"

Mick looked over at Josef and raised his hands to indicate that the decision was up to him, but the look in his eyes told Josef he wanted him to say yes.

"Oh for fucksake" he muttered under his breath and rolled his eyes "Ok. Ok, Beth you can stay here"

"Oh my god. Thank you, thank you so much...."she started to gush but Josef held up his hand to stop her.

"But" he said firmly "there are a few ground rules"

"Ok" Beth replied, looking at Josef half expectantly and half apprehensively.

"First of all. Mick and I are in a relationship and you accept that" his tone let it be known that he as not asking Beth whether she did or not, he was telling her.

"Second of all" he continued, not giving Beth time to respond "Upstairs is off limits. When we are up there, you do not come up and interrupt us. Is that clear?"

Beth nodded in affirmation and gingerly asked "Is there anything else?"

"Yes." Josef said in a tone of voice that said "this is non negotiable"

"If anything" he continued "and I mean anything, goes missing from this house; you are out. No excuses, no second chances"

"Ok, I understand Josef" Beth said quietly. "But I promise you that won't happen"

"We'll see" Josef muttered and then stood up and reached out for Mick's hand, indicating he was to follow him right now.

"We're going to bed Beth; there are some bags of ice in the freezer. You can pack those around yourself"

And without another word he turned away and walked up the stairs, leading Mick behind him.

"Beth?" Mick said, gently shaking her awake the following evening.

"What" she mumbled in reply, still half asleep.

"Could you go upstairs please, I'd like some alone time with Josef down here. There's a TV in Josef's office up there, you can watch that".

"What's wrong with the bedroom" she muttered, stifling a yawn.

"Come on Beth, it's not just my bedroom you know..."

"No Mick, I meant what's wrong with you and Josef having alone time" she felt a little uncomfortable saying those words "in the bedroom"

"Because I want alone time with Josef down here" Mick was starting to become frustrated with Beth's reluctance to move off the couch.

"Where is Josef anyway?" Beth asked

"He's upstairs, in the bedroom"

"Then why don't you just...." Beth was about to say "go upstairs" when Mick abruptly cut her off.

"Beth, just go upstairs and watch TV in Josef's office, ok."

"Ok, ok" Beth mumbled slightly annoyed and waving her hand dismissively.

Mick waited until she had ascended the stairs and heard the click of Josef's office door, then checked the time and went outside to wait for his expected visitor. She arrived, fifteen minutes late, and he hurriedly ushered her inside and told her to wait in the kitchen whilst he went upstairs to fetch Josef.

"Good evening, my beloved" Josef said happily, reclining back on the bed with his arms above his head, as Mick walked through the door.

"Good evening" Mick walked over to him and bent down to kiss his lips "how was your shower?"

"Hmm nice" Josef replied, returning Mick's kiss "you should have joined me though" he added, sitting up and brushing Mick's hair out of his eyes with his finger before he kissed him again, probing his mouth open with his tongue as he gripped the back of Mick's head with his hand.

Mick returned the kiss for a few minutes, before he reluctantly broke away and took Josef by the hand "I have a surprise for you downstairs" he said with a smile as he helped Josef to his feet.

"A surprise? For me?" Josef looked at Mick curiously and arched an eyebrow. "Should I get dressed"

"No you don't have to, but you probably should put a robe on. Not that I don't enjoy the view" Mick added with a sly smile.

"Why thank you" Josef grinned at him as he slowly put his silk robe on and tied the cord around his waist, just as Mick came up behind him and blindfolded him with one of Josef's own silk ties.

"Ooh Kinky" Josef quipped "this could get interesting"

"It's just until you get downstairs"

"Oh, ok" Josef replied sounding disappointed. "Well in that case can't I take this damn thing off? I can't see where I'm going, how am I going to walk downstairs with this thing wrapped around my head." He griped.

"Leave it on" Mick instructed. "I'll help you. And don't roll your eyes at me like that Josef"

"How did you know I was rolling my eyes at you, Mick? I have a blindfold on?" Josef snipped at him.

"Because I know you." Mick shot back. "Now come on, take my arm."

Mick slowly helped Josef down the stairs and then into the kitchen, where he removed the blindfold to reveal a young, rather attractive, blonde haired female standing in front of him.

"She's for you." Mick grinned "A thank you present for allowing Beth to stay with us."

"A freshie?" Josef clapped his hands together and then turned to Mick. "You bought me a freshie? Oh my god I could kiss you. Have I told you lately how much I love you?"

"Yes, Josef you have" Mick laughed just as the girl stepped forward and extended her arm.

"Hi I'm...."

"Dinner" Josef said, cutting her off "yes I know".

He grabbed her arm, looking at Mick and snarling his appreciation as his eyes flashed to pale blue and he sank his fangs into her flesh and began to drink deeply; making small suckling noises that sent shivers down Mick's spine.

"Do you want some?" he asked when he'd drunk his fill.

"No thank you" Mick replied with a soft smile "She's all for you".

Josef dropped the freshies arm from his grasp and moved over to Mick, wrapping his arms around his waist and drawing him towards him.

"I've finished with her for the night" he stated, then leaned up to whisper in Mick's ear "but I'm just getting started with you"

"Oh really? That's what you think" Mick whispered back, his tone holding the promise of things to come.

Josef kissed Mick then, gently at first, using only the lightest feather strokes. He ran the tip of his tongue over Mick's fangs and then probed into his mouth, teasing him, before he twisted his fingers through Mick's hair and crushed his mouth hard against Mick's lips

Josef felt the freshies hand snake in-between them and quickly released his hold on Mick, growling at her to, "Get away, you were just the appetiser," before he turned his attention back to Mick and added with a salacious raise of an eybrow, "this is the main course."

"Yeah alright whatever" the freshie rolled her eyes "can I like use a phone or something? I need to call my driver"

"Hmm what?" Josef muttered distractedly, his attention focused on Mick.

"Oh Jesus..." the freshie sighed "a phone, you know the little mechanical thing you use to call people who have other little mechanical things that they can speak to you on"

"I know what a phone is" Josef snarled at her and then turned to Mick. "Do you want to help our guest to the door and call her a taxi, or whatever the hell it is she needs to do to get out of here."

Mick laughed and disentangled himself from Josef's embrace, then lead the freshie over to the phone.

"You can ring whoever you need to on that," he told her, opening the front door at the same time. He waited until she'd made her phone call and then ushered her out, closing the door behind her.

"Now where were we?" Josef asked as Mick rejoined him, eager to continue their make out session uninterrupted.

"I believe you were saying something about main courses and only getting started?" Mick grinned as he wrapped his arms around Josef's waist and drew him back towards him.

"Oh yeah that's right..." Josef started to say but his words were abruptly cut off when Mick spun him around and pushed him down onto the kitchen table, almost knocking the wind out of him.

"I told you had another think coming when you said you were going to be the one to get things started" he whispered, pulling the belt out of Josef's robe and letting the garment fall to the floor. He grabbed Josef's arms then and pinned them behind his back, using the cord in his hand to tie his wrists together at the same time.

"Mick?..."

Mick clapped his hand over Josef's mouth and bent his head to his ear. "Did I say you could talk? As a matter of fact did I tell you that you could even make a sound?"

"No"

"Well shut up then"

He reached down between Josef's legs and took hold of his cock, stroking the length of him with slow measured strokes.

"What? Did I just tell you?" Mick huffed as Josef let out a groan of pleasure.

"Sorry. Submission, right."

"You know this doesn't really work if you don't play along as well, Josef." Mick rolled his eyes in exasperation and then smiled when Josef didn't reply.

After another minute of Mick's continuing attentions to his cock, Josef couldn't help himself and let out another groan.

"Right, that's it," Mick grabbed the tie he had used to blindfold Josef before, "if you can't do what I tell you, you leave me no choice." With that he wrapped the tie around Josef's mouth and tied it around the back of his neck, gagging him.

"Now. Are you going to do what you're told?"

"Yeah alright." Josef managed to mutter behind the gag around his mouth.

"Good." Mick bent his lips towards Josef's ear and whispered the word to him, as he continued to stroke his hardnes, varying the pace and bringing Josef to the brink of orgasm repeatedly. Josef bit down on the gag and tried to keep from crying out with a mixture of sheer ecstasy and frustration.

"Do you want to come?" Mick whispered to him then.

"Bad luck." Mick laughed as Josef nodded his head frantically and let out a little pleading whimper. "You'll come when I tell you to come."

Josef writhed and bucked his hips against the edge of the table, trying to release the almost painful build up of tension in his cock. He let out a snarl of frustration when he felt Mick's hands grab him around the waist and pull him away.

"What did I just tell you, Josef?" Mick growled playfully, exerting his dominance over him as he gripped the back of Josef's neck with one hand and quickly unzipped his pants, releasing his own erection into his hand. Retrieving a tube of lubricant from his pocket, he quickly slicked some of it's contents over the head of his cock.

"You want to come?" he whispered again, stroking one lubricated finger over Josef's hole.

"Yes, for fuck sake yes." Josef muffled desperately through the confines of the gag.

With that Mick removed the gag from around Josef's mouth and pushed himself inside him with one hard upwards thrust of his cock and began to fuck him as hard as he knew Josef could take it.

His mouth released from the constraints of the gag, the first sound out of Josef's mouth was a loud cry of pleasure as he practically roared the word, "Oh Fuck " over and over again.

Upstairs, Beth turned the volume up on the TV as loud as it would go and clasped her hands over her ears to drown out the sounds she could hear coming from downstairs.

Downstairs, Mick could feel Josef's body trembling violently beneath him as he pounded into his arse and offered Josef his wrist; knowing he was close to climaxing. It only took a couple more hard thrusts and Mick felt Josef's entire body tense up just before he sank his fangs into the flesh of Mick's arms and began to convulse and snarl with pleasure as wave after wave of powerful pulsations of sheer unadulterated orgasmic pleasure tore through him.

Josef's fangs biting into him sent Mick spiralling into his own release as he bent forward and sank his own fangs deep into Josef's shoulder and exploded inside him, growling out the rhythm of his own climax.

When the last pulsations of their respective orgasms were finally spent, Josef's legs went out from underneath and Mick had to grab him around the waist and gently lower him to the floor, laying down next to him and wrapping his arms around his neck as he kissed his cheek tenderly.

"Did you enjoy you're little thank you present" he asked him with a soft smile.

"Uh huh" was all he could manage to say, his breath coming out in sharp ragged little gasps as he lay there staring up at the ceiling and trying to control the rate of airflow from in and out of his lungs.

"Good, I wanted you too. You deserved every moment of it for what you did, allowing Beth to stay with us again I mean".

"That's...oh...kay" he panted, still trying to recover his senses.

Mick laughed and pulled Josef closer, embracing him tightly as they lay together on the kitchen floor.

"I love you" he whispered to him.

"Ditto" Josef whispered back after a few moments, when he was finally able to speak properly.

Mick?" Josef said a few minutes later, still lying on the floor with Mick contentedly snuggling into his shoulder.

"Hmm, what?"

"Do you think you could possibly untie me now, please" he replied, wriggling his hands behind his back to make a point "this is kind of getting a little uncomfortable"

"Huh? Oh shit sorry, yeah hang on a moment" Mick said, looking a little contrite and embarrassed as he quickly turned Josef on to his side and undid the cord around his wrists.

"Are you ok? how's the circulation?" he asked, massaging Josef's wrists for him gently.

"I'll live, Mick. It's ok" Josef replied, laughing gently and running his finger down Mick's face.

"Yeah well, I'm just checking. You did just have that freshie for dinner you know"

"I know, but I'm fine really, stop fussing" he said with a laugh and pulled his wrists out of Mick's grasp and getting to his feet. "Come on, get up. I'm going to get dressed and then we're heading out"

"Where?" Mick asked, looking at Josef questioningly.

"I don't know? Anywhere. We'll go for a drive or something" he waved a hand almost dismissively "I'm just feeling a bit restless after that"

"After what, Josef?" Mick asked him with a cheeky smile.

"You know _what_, Mick" Josef replied, returning Mick's self same smile "and thank you"

"You liked it then?" Mick asked, drawing his arms around Josef's waist.

"No, Mick I hated every second of it. I always tend to yell out _oh fuck_ like that when I'm not enjoying something" Josef quipped back to him.

"Don't be a smart alec, Josef"

"Well don't ask stupid questions then, Mick?" Josef laughed as he gave Mick a quick kiss and then headed upstairs to get dressed.

"Tell Beth she can come downstairs again now if she wants" Mick called out after him.

"Yeah, yeah ok" Josef threw back to him over his shoulder, waving a hand dismissively.

He hurriedly ran upstairs to the bedroom and threw on one of his more casual suits, which still looked like it should be paraded in a haute couture fashion show, and then went to the door of his office and rapped on it a couple of times.

"Beth? It's Josef. Mick just asked me to let you know that you can come downstairs again now, ok"

"Ok, thanks Josef" Beth said, looking a little agitated as she opened the door and tried to force a smile "Did you guys have a nice evening?"

"Yes, we did" Josef replied and couldn't repress the slightest hint of a wicked grin that played at the corners of his mouth.

"Yeah, well." Beth started to say a little uncomfortably "it certainly sounded like it from up here"

"Yeah, well" Josef mimicked, smiling with gracious sarcasm "you spend fifty years with someone you kind of get to know which buttons to press, in a manner of speaking"

"I'm sure you do, Josef?" Beth forced a sarcastic smile back at him and then quickly excused herself and headed downstairs, with Josef following closely behind.

"Hey Beth" Mick tried to greet her warmly as he saw her descend the stairs and walk into the lounge room.

"Hey Mick", Beth tried to keep her tone of voice as casual as possible but it still came out a little forced.

"Are you ready to go my love?" Josef said, his voice breaking through the awkward silence in the room as he walked over to Mick and wrapped his arm around his waist.

"Yeah, just give me a minute to grab my jacket. Ok?"

"Beth?" Josef turned to her and spoke "Mick and I are going out for a while. You will be ok here won't you" it wasn't a question it was a statement.

"Yes, Josef. I will be fine, you two just go out and have a lovely evening" she replied forcing herself to try and smile as graciously as possible.

"Thanks Beth" Mick replied, smiling at her as if he was completely oblivious to the forced exchange that had just happened, either that or choosing to ignore it all together "We won't be long, there's some blood in the fridge if you need it"

"I might just try and get some sleep" Beth replied, pretending to stifle a yawn.

"Oh ok then. Well, goodnight" Mick smiled at her as Josef pressed his hand into Mick's back and began to move him along.

"So where exactly are we going? Mick asked, as he climbed into the passenger seat.

"Nowhere in particular, like I said" Josef shrugged, gunning the engine and pulling the Ferrari out onto the road ahead of them.

"So we're just going to drive until we run out of fuel are we? Yeah ok, that sounds like a plan" Mick laughed.

"No Mick, we're _not_ just going to drive until we run out of fuel" Josef snorted and rolled his eyes "We'll find something to do"

"Oh I'm sure we will, Josef" Mick grinned, raising his eyebrows suggestively as he reached over and ran his hand up Josef's thigh. "Haven't you already had enough for tonight though?"

"Not really. No" Josef smiled as he reached one arm around the back of Mick's head and pressed him forwards, trying to unbuckle and unzip his pants at the same time.

"Josef. For fucksake, just drive the car" Mick exclaimed "I can do that"

Josef placed both hands back on the steering wheel as Mick hurriedly finished undoing his trousers for him and bent his head towards his lap, taking his growing erection into his mouth; hearing Josef snarl with appreciation as he started working his tongue over his shaft.

"Oh fuck" Josef muttered under his breath, gritting his teeth as Mick worked both his mouth and hand over his cock; his hands gripping the steering wheel hard as he felt the growing arousal building up from deep within him, his body starting to tremble with the need for release.

Mick sensed Josef's impending orgasm and increased the pace, faster and faster; holding up his hand towards Josef's mouth so he could bite into him when the time came. A few more thrusts of his hand and swirls of his tongue was all it took to push Josef over the edge and he growled with pleasure as he climaxed into Mick's mouth, biting into the flesh of his palm at the same time and losing control of his foot on the accelerator of the car; kicking the speed up far beyond the legal limit for the stretch of road they were travelling on.

"Oh crap" Josef exclaimed under his breath as he heard the sirens and saw the flashing red and blue lights behind them. "Mick. Get off me, we're being pulled over" he said hurriedly frantically trying to make himself decent as he pulled the car off to the side of the road and sat their waiting for the Cop to pull up behind them and get out of the car; trying to control his breathing rate as Mick sat next to him with a nervous look on his face.

"Mick" Josef hissed at him "try not to look so guilty and for god sake wipe your mouth" he added, throwing him a handkerchief from his suit pocket just as the Cop who had pulled them over tapped on the window of the car and gestured for Josef to wind it down.

"Do you realise how fast you were driving, Sir?" he asked Josef, leaning his head slightly into the car and shining a torch around inside the interior.

Just for a moment Josef was going to say something incredibly sarcastic such as "No, but why don't you tell me? you were the one keeping up", but thought the better of it and smiled at the officer and tried to look apologetic instead.

"I'm so sorry about that, the car's new" he explained with polite charm "the accelerators a little touchy sometimes, I'm still getting used to it"

"I'm still going to have to give you a ticket, Sir. Can I see your registration and driver's licence please"

Josef reached over Mick to open the Glove Box and retrieved the items, both of which he'd had to have repeatedly forged and reforged over the years, and handed them to the Officer; still slathering on the Kostan charm and smiling as graciously as he could possibly manage.

"Ok, well these look in order" the Cop said to him, as he took out a small pad of paper and a pen and began scribbling the details of the offence and fine on it, before handing it to Josef with a curt but polite, "Have a good evening, drive slower next time".

"Two hundred Euros?" Josef snarled, glaring at the paper in his hand as he read the details of exactly how much his little run in with the law was going to cost.

"Payment for services rendered" Mick laughed and shrugged, the tension of the situation finally leaving him.

"Yes Mick, ha ha very funny" Josef smirked at him, before starting the car and pulling back onto the road.

Beth had no intentions of sleeping after Mick and Josef had left the house for the evening, instead she took to pacing around the house as soon as they had walked out the door; muttering to herself over and over again.

"You don't need it, you don't need it, you don't need it"

She looked around desperately for something to distract herself, to take her mind of her cravings for the drug.

"Go for a walk, perhaps" she thought to herself and then quickly dismissed the idea, knowing deep down exactly where and what she would immediately head to, if she was to leave the house.

"A book?" yes that was it, she would find a good book to read; lose herself in the pages and try not to think about anything else but the words in front of her. There had to be something decent to read around here somewhere; surely Josef at least must have collected some interesting books in 400 years, she thought to herself as she hurriedly wandered through the rooms downstairs before heading upstairs and finding the bookshelf in the drawing room.

Browsing through the various titles on the shelves, she found one that sounded interesting and pulled it from the shelf, revealing the small velvet box that had been hidden behind it. She reached into the small space where the book had been and retrieved the box from the back of the shelf. Opening it, she gasped as she saw what was inside. It looked expensive, very expensive, the kind of expensive that could be converted into a lot of drug blood.

All thoughts of trying to resist the cravings flew out the window and without a second thought she pocketed what she had just found and headed back downstairs, hurriedly scribbled a note to Mick and walked out the front door to try and find an all night pawn shop.

"Oh come on Josef" Mick was saying as they arrived home and entered the house "you have to admit, it was kind of funny"

"What's so funny about two hundred Euros, Mick" Josef continued to fume "and the fact that I have to go out in the daytime to pay the stupid Fine"

"Oh, you poor baby" Mick said in tones of mock sympathy, then laughed and kissed Josef gently on his forehead "come on, let's get you upstairs to the Freezer. You can worry about the Fine in the morning".

With that he kissed Josef once more and then hurried him upstairs while he went to check on Beth, who was pretending to be asleep on the couch. She had only just gotten home before Mick and Josef, after finding an all night Jewellers that was more than willing to take such a high quality item of jewellery off her hands and then quickly making her way straight back out onto the streets, where she knew she would find an abundant supply of junk fuelled blood.

Mick looked down at Beth and smiled, she seemed so peaceful lying there. Maybe everything was going to be alright for her after all. He went to the freezer in the kitchen and fetched some bags of ice, then packed them around the body and gave her a quick peck on the cheek and whispered

"Sleep well" to her, before he turned and went upstairs to join Josef in the Freezer.

Josef woke up the following day, to the high pitch bleep of the alarm on the Freezer he had set the night before, in a foul mood.

"Where are you going" Mick mumbled half asleep, as Josef opened the lid of the freezer.

"Where do you _think_ I'm going" Josef snapped "I'm going to pay that damn Fine"

"Alright, sorry I asked" Mick rolled his eyes and Josef let out a deep sigh and bent over to kiss him gently.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be so short with you" Josef said, smiling apologetically "I guess I've just woken up on the wrong side of the Freezer today"

"Yeah. Well. You don't need to take it out on me, Josef" Mick sulked.

"I know, I said I was sorry, Mick" Josef shot back at him and flounced off to have a shower and get dressed, before returning to Mick and giving him a quick kiss on the cheek and telling him he would see him when he got home.

"Don't I get proper kiss goodbye then, Josef? Wow. You are in a bad mood aren't you?"

Josef leant over the freezer once again and grabbed Mick's head, crushing his lips almost forcefully against his mouth and kissing him passionately for a few seconds.

"Was that better?" he asked with a sarcastic smile when he'd finished.

"Yes. Yes it was" Mick replied, returning Josef's sarcastic expression back to him before he reached up and drew him back down to him.

"Are you sure you have to go out right now?" he asked, brushing his lips invitingly against Josef's mouth.

"I just want to get this out the way. Ok?" Josef replied, reluctantly pulling away from Mick's embrace. "I won't be too long. Hold that thought" he added with a devilish grin.

Pulling a wide brimmed Fedora hat down over his forehead and wrapping a pair of dark sunglasses around his face, Josef stepped outside into the harsh glare of daylight and started making his way to the Court House; getting half way down the street before his travels were interrupted by a cell phone call that turned his already grey mood completely black.

"Thank you for letting me know" he said through gritted teeth, as politely as he could possibly manage at that moment, and then slammed the phone shut.

"Josef Kostan" the old bespectacled Jeweller said apologetically, as Josef walked through the door of the shop "I wasn't in last night, but I recognised the piece straight away as soon as I came in. I am so sorry, that this has happened".

"It's not your fault, Dieter" Josef replied and gestured reassuringly "How much do I owe you?"

"Nothing, absolutely nothing. Please, put your money away. I know how much this item meant to you. Consider it's return a gift from me"

Josef considered this for a moment and then smiled graciously, not wanting to offend the old man's hospitality "Thank you, Dieter. I'll remember this" he said kindly as he took the small velvet box from his hand and then turned and walked out of the shop.

Mick was up and dressed and sitting at the kitchen table making polite small talk with Beth, when Josef walked in looking for the entire world like an ominous storm cloud descending over them.

"Mick" he said firmly, as he took out his wallet and peeled off a couple of Deutschmarks. "I wasn't able to make it to the Court House. Take this and go pay it for me"

"Josef?" Mick began, but Josef gave him a warning look and held up his hand "Now, please Mick. I want to talk to Beth. Alone"

Mick hesitated for a moment and considered the look on Josef's face, before deciding that now was not a good time to argue or disagree with him. Taking the money from Josef's hands he looked over at Beth and shrugged, trying to give her a reassuring smile at the same time before he turned and walked out the door. Leaving her alone with Josef.

Beth was shaking and too scared to turn her head and look Josef in the eye as he slowly approached her and took the small velvet box out of his pocket. He placed it on the table in front of her and then bent his head down towards hers; letting her feel his breath on her face for moment, before he put his lips right up to her ear and snarled through gritted teeth,

"Get. Out"

"Josef?" Beth started to whisper as she stood up and looked at him pleadingly. Josef's face immediately changed into that of the Vampire in full predatory mode and he roared at her furiously, warning her to not say another word to him.

Beth stared at Josef, frozen and terrified for a moment, before she quickly averted her eyes and hurriedly moved into the lounge room; sweeping up the few belonging she had bought with her into her arms and walking out the door; terrified that Josef was going to kill her at any given moment until she was safely out on the street and away from the house.

Back inside the house, Josef, his mind still clouded with red fury, poured himself a glass of blood and tried to calm down. He was not looking forward to having to tell Mick what had happened, when he returned home. Not looking forward to it, at all.

"FUCK" he roared angrily and threw the glass in his hand, hearing the harsh tinkling sound it made as the glass shattered as it shattered against the wall.

Mick returned home, half an hour later, to find Josef sitting on the couch looking very serious and gesturing for him to come join him.

"What's going on? Where's Beth?" Mick asked, looking around the room.

"Just come over here and sit down, ok?" Josef replied, taking Mick's hands in his as he sat down next to him. "I threw her out" he said simply, trying to keep the level of his voice to as calm a tone as possible, "I had to. She broke one of the rules I set down before I allowed her to stay with us again"

"What? I don't understand what did she do? She hasn't been out of the house at all since she got here?" Mick said, looking confused.

"Mick. She must have gone out last night; while we weren't here." he squeezed Mick's hands gently "She stole something from me. She just happened to be stupid enough to try to sell it back to the same place I bought it from. They contacted me and told me what had happened when I was on the way to the Court House".

"Stupid or desperate?" Mick said with a sigh.

"Probably a bit of both" Josef responded gently and wrapped his arms around Mick's shoulders. "I'm sorry, Mick. Really, I am...but she left me no choice"

"I know" Mick sighed and rested his head on Josef's shoulder, "You told her the rules from the start and she chose to break one of them. I understand, Josef. Really, I do...it's just that"

"What Mick?"

"She seemed like she was doing ok? She seemed like she really wanted to beat this thing?"

"Well wanting to beat an addiction and actually doing it are two completely different things, Mick" Josef tried to explain carefully.

When Mick didn't respond, Josef continued "Mick" he said softly, "I know you care about Beth, but it's time to let go. Like I keep trying to tell you, you can't save someone from themselves" he kissed Mick then and whispered to him "Just let go of this, please".

"I know, Josef" Mick whispered back to him and nodded his head sadly, "I know. Ok"

"Come on" Josef said, standing up and pulling Mick to his feet with him "we'll catch a couple of hours sleep before night fall. Then I'll take you somewhere nice, just the two of us. Ok?"

"That sounds nice, thanks" Mick sighed, as Josef took him by the hand and lead the both of them upstairs.

"So where exactly are we going?" Mick asked later that evening, as he walked along the street beside Josef; their arms wrapped around each others waist.

"I told you, just somewhere nice where we can be alone together" Josef responded with a cryptic smile as they reached the doors to a local apartment building.

He lead Mick up the stairs to the rooftop and opened the stairwell door,

"For you my beloved" he said, smiling at Mick and bowing graciously.

"Wow. When did you do this?" Mick asked, smiling back at Josef as he surveyed the display of candles, around a blanket, that was laid out just in front of him.

"I snuck up here while you were still asleep" Josef whispered to him conspiratorially and took Mick by the hand.

"Come on, I've got a nice bottle of scotch for us and some blood to mix with it as well" he said, as he lead Mick over and pulled him down onto the blanket with him.

"You spoil me too much, Josef?" Mick said as he settled back into Josef's embrace.

"I don't spoil you as often as you deserve, Mick" Josef replied as he kissed him softly on the neck and then gently scraped his fangs lightly along the soft flesh there, eliciting a shiver of anticipation from Mick.

"Do you like me doing that?" he whispered to Mick, blowing gently on the small wet patches that his lips had created on Mick's neck.

"You know I do, Josef" Mick whispered back to him, a shiver running down his spine again as Josef ran his tongue along the nape of his neck.

"I'll have to do it more often then" he responded and continued teasing the flesh of Mick's neck with his lips and fangs, before slipping his hand down between his legs and starting to squeeze Mick's erection lightly through the material of his pants.

Mick's hands immediately moved to undo the belt; button and zip on his trousers to give Josef better access, but Josef quickly pushed his hands away and whispered in his ear.

"Don't. Just relax and let me do everything. I'm the one whose in control tonight, Mick"

Truth be known Josef wasn't actually planning on being the one in control at all that evening, not in the end at least. Mick had taken the news about Beth far too well and Josef had decided he needed to push Mick into doing something to release all his anger and frustration. Josef could easily overpower Mick if he wanted, but tonight he was going to push him over the edge and then willingly submit to him; just like he had willingly submitted to him all the other times before that.

He continued teasing Mick's cock through the covering of material for a few more minutes before he slowly undid the fastenings and slipped his hand down the front of Mick's pants, wrapping his fingers around his erection and starting to stroke his hand up and down the shaft of Mick's penis with long slow strokes.

He varied the pace to match the tone of Mick's reactions, going slowly one minute and then quickening the movements of his hand the next, bringing Mick almost to the point of no return and then dropping him back down again until he had Mick gasping and writhing beneath him.

"For fucksake Josef, are you going to let me come?" he half panted and half snarled

"I've got at least 3 centuries of experience on you, Mick" Josef whispered to him seductively "I could keep you like this for hours".

"Fuck you" Mick hissed at him desperately.

"Why don't you then, Mick" Josef whispered challengingly and handed Mick the small tube of lubricant he'd retrieved from his pocket.

Mick let out a predatory growl and broke away from Josef's embrace momentarily, rapidly shedding his clothing as Josef quickly did the same, thankful for the small break in proceedings that allowed him to do so; more than a little concerned at that moment that in the state Mick was in he may very well have torn his clothes off of him and left him with nothing to wear home.

When they were both completely naked, Mick grabbed Josef's legs and pulled him over to him, the look in his eyes so feral that for a single solitary moment Josef wasn't quiet sure if Mick was planning to fuck him or throw him over the edge of the building.

"Get here you" Mick snarled at Josef, as he flipped him onto his knees and gripped the back of his neck with one hand, pushing his face down onto the blanket below them at the same time.

Josef took a deep breath and braced himself for the onslaught he knew was about to come as Mick hurriedly smeared lubricant around the entrance to his arse and just over the tip of his cock, before he positioned himself against Josef and slammed up into him in one sudden violent thrust.

"Oh fuck" Josef snarled, with the force of Mick's entry into him; repeating the same words again as Mick started fucking him as hard as he could, slamming into him over and over again.

"That's it, Mick" Josef thought to himself as he handed himself over to Mick completely and felt the first stirrings of approaching orgasm; his body starting to tremble under Mick's frenetic movements "get rid of all that frustration and anger"

Josef knew from Mick's increasingly uncontrolled thrusting that he was close to climaxing and he pushed himself up onto his hands more; using his superior strength against Mick, just for that moment, as Mick tried unsuccessfully to keep his head pinned down.

A few more violent thrusts of Mick's cock into Josef's body and both of them sailed over the edge at the same time, snarling and growling with their respective release as Mick grabbed Josef around the waist with one arm, holding him up and sinking his fangs into Josef's shoulder at exactly the same time as Josef grabbed hold of Mick's arms and bit sharply into the flesh of his forearm.

"Fuck me" Mick hissed, as wave after wave of unadulterated pleasure washed over him, the words muffled by Josef's shoulder as he continued to bite into him, tearing at his flesh slightly.

When they were both finally spent, Josef collapsed forwards and Mick fell down on top of him, both Vampires trying to catch their breath and recover their senses as they lay there together and listened to the rapid beating of each other's undead hearts; made possible only by the blood they consumed on a daily basis.

"Josef?" Mick said with concern a few moments later, as he slipped out of him and raised himself up onto his arms; looking down at the wound on Josef's shoulder where he had torn some of the skin away with the force of his bite, "are you ok? I didn't hurt you too much did I?"

"No Mick, you didn't. It's ok, I heal quickly remember" Josef laughed and turned over onto his back, wrapping his arms around Mick's neck and drawing him into his embrace.

"We didn't get to have any of that Blood Scotch you bought up here for us" Mick said apologetically a few moments later, as he lay in Josef's arms and nuzzled his head into his, now completely healed, shoulder.

"Well. That wasn't really the purpose of bringing you up here, Mick" Josef admitted to him with a small laugh and Mick laughed back at him knowingly and said,

"I think I kind of figured that, Josef"

"So? Did it work then?" Josef asked him as he stroked the top of Mick's head and curled his hair around the tips of his fingers then "have you gotten rid of some of that tension you've been holding onto ever since I told you the news?"

"Yes, Josef. It worked and I have" Mick said smilingly, then reached up to kiss Josef's face and whispered "Thank you. I love you"

"You're welcome and ditto" Josef whispered back to him and looked up at the moon, seemingly hovering in the night sky above them, and thought to himself.

"I would give you all that and more if I had it in my power, Mick St John"

Josef?" Mick began tentatively the following morning, as they sat at the kitchen table together sipping their respective glasses of blood.

"No" came the stern reply, before Mick had even had a chance to open his mouth and say another word.

"Josef? You don't even know what I was I going to ask"

"You were going to ask if I would consider taking Beth back in, weren't you."

"No, Josef. Actually I wasn't" Mick replied, a little too defensively.

"But you are going to ask me something regarding Beth, aren't you Mick" Josef stated simply, his gaze fixed on Mick's nervous expression, awaiting his response.

"Yeah. Yeah I am" Mick nodded, the tone of his voice quiet and low; almost as if he was thinking out loud before he broached the subject of Beth with Josef.

Josef's gaze remained fixed on Mick's face, his eyebrows arched as if to say "_well, come on. I'm waiting. Spit it out_"

Mick took a deep breath and then turned to face Josef, speaking hesitantly at first "It's just that..."

"It's just that what?, Mick" Josef prompted him, the tone of his voice sharp; wanting Mick to just come out and say whatever it was he wanted to say and stop playing games.

Taking another deep breath and letting it out with a soft sigh, Mick paused for a moment and gathered his thoughts, "It's just that...It's just that I hate the thought of her being out there. On the streets. Alone and cold and scared and confused and in trouble"

"Mick..."

"Josef, she wants help. I know she does. Do you think she actually wants to be the way she is now?"

"And what's that Mick?" Josef asked, with a slightly bitter edge to his voice, "a Vampire, an addict or both?"

"Everything, Josef" Mick responded, throwing up his hands in a gesture of sheer exasperation. "Just, everything".

"Well you can't do anything about the first point now, Mick and as for the second, well you can't do anything about that either. So explain what you mean by _everything_", Josef paused for a moment and then added, "or more to the point, explain to me how you intend to fix the unfixable"

"Josef?" Mick began, surprised at the harshness of Josef's tone.

"No, Mick. Ok, just no" Josef snapped at him in frustration, "I am not having this conversation with you again. I am sick of hearing this from you" he let out a deep breath and then quickly continued, before Mick had a chance to say anything in response, "Yes, you turned her Mick and yes that shouldn't have happened, but...."

"Exactly, Josef. I turned her" Mick interrupted, slamming his glass down on the table in front of him to emphasise the point "I turned her, this is my fault"

Josef stood up and stared at Mick for a moment, unsure whether he wanted to enfold him in his arms and comfort him or punch his lights out in sheer frustration. Finally he merely sighed and turned to leave, muttering under his breath "I need to go and pay this fine off"

"_Seeing as someone forgot to do what I asked him the other day_", he added with wordless annoyance but decided to not bring up that particular little faux pax of Mick's right at this moment.

"Josef. Wait" Mick called out after him, reaching out to grab his arm as he started to walk away.

Josef hesitated for a moment, then allowed himself to be pulled down onto Mick's lap and wrapped his arms around Mick's neck, kissing him gently on the forehead at the same time.

"Mick..." he started to say softly, before Mick interrupted him in a sad voice.

"Josef, please don't be mad with me"

"I'm not mad at you, Mick" Josef sighed "I just hate seeing you beating yourself up over something that isn't your fault-"

"But-"

"-that isn't your fault", Josef repeated, ignoring the start of another round of protests from Mick, "and that you can't just magically fix either. It's like watching you bash your head against a brick wall, Mick. No matter how hard you try, the wall's still going to be there and you'll just end up giving yourself a headache or worse"

"Josef. I'm a Vampire, I'm pretty sure if I hit my head against a wall hard enough I could knock it down" Mick quipped with a tiny snort of laughter.

"Not this wall you can't, Mick" Josef replied simply, kissing Mick softly on the lips before placing his mouth against Mick's ear and whispering to him "She has to want to come down herself"

"I know, I know, Josef. Ok" Mick replied in a low voice.

"Do you though, Mick? Do you really?" Josef asked, not really expecting an answer "I mean you keep saying that, but most of the time it doesn't really seem like you do"

When Mick didn't respond, Josef placed a hand under his chin and turned his face towards his; looking at him in earnest,

"This. Is not helping her, Mick", he spoke firmly, emphasising each word carefully as he tried, almost desperately, to make Mick finally see what he considered to be _common sense_, "how do you expect her to even want to try and do anything to save herself, or to try and stand on her own two feet and actually deal with stuff, when you keep rushing to the rescue and propping her up? What possible incentive is there for her to actually put the effort that is required into changing her current situation, when you keep making it just as easy for her to let things go on the way they are?"

"I know, Josef." Mick repeated, "I know, alright. You've hammered that particular point into me already and I get it, ok?_ I _get it"

He heard Josef's intake of breath as he started to say something further and held up a hand to stop him,

"Josef. Please" he began, the tone of his voice and his expression pleading with him to _please just listen to me_ and _try and understand_, "I just need to know she's safe" he continued, "Ok? I just need to know that she is somewhere where she is safe and that there's someone looking out for her. That's all"

Josef reached up and slowly traced a finger over the contours of Mick's face, as he held his gaze for a few moments and considered the depth of concern that he found there. He knew, despite everything he had tried to say or do, that Mick already lived with a big enough shadow of guilt for what had happened, or rather what he had done, to Beth in the first place. If anything were to actually happen to her now it would almost completely destroy him and Josef just could not, would not let that happen; not if there was still at least something he could do to try and help.

"I will take care of it" he said finally, brushing Mick's mouth softly with his lips as he kissed him gently and silently added "_for your sake_".

"Thank you" Mick replied quietly, the tone of his voice filled with relief and gratitude as he returned Josef's kiss and deepened it; tangling his fingers in his hair as he wrapped his hands around the back of Josef's head and drew him into him, pressing his lips fervently against his as he probed and explored his mouth with his tongue.

"Wait?" he said a few moments later, suddenly breaking away from the kiss and looking at Josef questioningly "what exactly are you going to do?"

"I said I would take care of it, Mick" Josef repeated; pressing a single finger to Mick's lips to indicate that he wasn't to say another word on the matter, before getting to his feet and reaching down to pull Mick up with him.

"I really need to go and pay this fine" he said, giving Mick a quick final embrace and kiss before he instructed him to "go back upstairs, get some more sleep; there's no sense in both of us going out into daylight when one of us doesn't have to", then gently added "after that, I will find Beth and I will take care of her " and turned to go.

"Josef?" Mick called after him, just as he reached the door.

"What, Mick?" Josef asked, turning back towards him.

"Nothing, just...I love you"

"I know" he replied simply and repeated the same words back to Mick, before he opened the door and stepped out into the harsh light of day.

Josef hurriedly made his way to the Salzburg Court House, moving through the streets as swiftly as possible; shielding his face from the glare of the sun with his arms and mentally kicking himself for not remembering to wear his black Fedora.

He finally reached the large, imposing looking building, quickly made his way up the stairs to the doors of the front entrance and then stopped dead in his tracks; letting out a furious roar as he kicked the reinforced glass of the door sharply; almost causing it to shatter.

"Closed for Business: Fridays 9 am - 1 pm" the sign on the door read.

"Fuck. Goddamn it" he shouted, fuming and kicking against the door a few more times; prompting a Court Security Officer to emerge from a side entrance and demand to know,

"What the hell is going on?"

"It's closed" Josef snapped at him, waving the slip of paper in his hand under the guard's nose "and I need to pay this damn fine off. That's what's going on"

"Well trying to kick the door in isn't going to make the fines payment office magically open just for you" the guard snapped back, snatching the piece of paper from Josef's hand at the same time. "You can post a cheque in payment of this" he said, showing Josef the section on the back of the Fine slip that explained the different payment options, "the address you send it to is written right here".

"Well it would have helped if someone had actually told me that in the first place" Josef replied sharply.

"But it's written-"

"Right here. Yes. Thank you. I can see that now"

Josef snatched back the slip of paper from the guards hand and turned to leave; the guard calling out sarcastically after him, "You're welcome", as Josef raised his hand and waved back over his shoulder dismissively. Being out in the sun was starting to get to him and he needed to find somewhere a little more sheltered from the daylight, somewhere where he could sit in peace and make the phone calls he needed to make.

"Mick, you had better appreciate why I'm doing this" he muttered under his breath as he walked along the street and continued trying to shield his face from the penetrating rays of the sun with his arm; finally coming to one of the local basement coffee shops and slipping down the stairs into the inviting darkness below.

There seemed to be some sort of unwritten rule in Salzburg that all basement coffee shops had to be dimly lit, regardless of the time of day; not that Josef was complaining as he took a seat at one of the tables tucked away in the darkest corner of the establishment and pulled his cell phone out of the pocket of his suit coat, placing the first of four phone calls he needed to make.

The first call he made to the ticket section of the Salzburg Train station, booking two tickets; one return the other one way; for passage to Cologne. The second call was placed to a local real estate contact in Cologne that Josef had established several years ago, to arrange the short term rental of what he described as "suitable premises"; requesting that a large upright freezer unit be installed at the chosen address as soon as possible at. The third call he placed to the Bank of Salzburg, where his main accounts were held, to arrange transfer of three months payment of rent for the address that had been given to him by his real estate contact and finally he dialled Ryder's number and quickly apprised him of the situation with Beth and the arrangements he was making for her on Mick's behalf.

"Josef Kostan, you are in love aren't you?" Ryder laughed cheekily down the line to him.

"Yes. Thank you for stating the obvious, Ryder" Josef quipped back to him "Now are you able to keep an eye on her for me or not? Please"

"To keep the wench out of your hair and ensure the continuation of the greatest Vampire romance in history" Ryder replied with mock tones of Shakespearean drama, "Of course"

"Thank you" Josef responded gratefully, chuckling a little at Ryder's remarks about the _'greatest Vampire romance'_, "I appreciate it, Ryder".

"I know you do, Josef" Ryder replied warmly "I'll keep in touch, ok?"

The last of the phone calls out of the way, Josef sat back and closed his eyes for a moment; stretching his legs out in front of him and placing his hands behind his head as he considered the best places for him to start looking for Beth. Vampires tended to be creatures of habit with when it came to things like blood and staying out of the sun and finding somewhere cold to sleep, and a Vampire with a habit was also going to be drawn to places where they could readily obtain the drug laced blood they craved so much.

"That's going to narrow the search field down considerably", Josef thought to himself and started mentally mapping out a route of all the most likely places Beth would be at this time; deciding to start with the abandoned warehouses just on the outskirts of the city.

His instincts were right and he quickly located her, passed out on a threadbare and filthy mattress, in the second warehouse he had searched.

"Beth" He said firmly, prodding the prone form lying in front of him with his foot "Beth. Wake up"

"Wha..What?" she mumbled, her voice croaking as she clumsily stirred and sat up; absentmindedly scratching the skin on her face and looking up at the figure standing over her through bleary eyes.

"JOSEF"

"Beth, Beth it's alright I'm not going to hurt you" he said, squatting down and trying to reassure her as she pressed herself back against the wall where the mattress lay, suddenly wide awake and wide eyed with fear and recognition. "You need to come with me. Right now"

He extended out his hand towards her, trying to keep the expression on his face as convincing as possible as he encouraged her to "come on".

"No. No Josef, I think I'll just stay right here. Ok?" she replied, shaking her head and swallowing nervously as she continued to press herself back against the wall like a cornered animal.

"Beth" Josef said, speaking slowly and firmly to her "I have had a really, really shitty day so far. Don't make it any worse". He opened the jacket of his suit slightly to reveal the sharpened wooden stake just inside the lining and added, "And please don't make me have to use this on you".

She stared at the stake fearfully for a moment, then looked at Josef, trying to gauge the expression on his face and wondering if she had a chance to make a run for it. Realising that even if Josef wasn't blocking her way he would still be way too fast for her to even think about making any sort of a break for it, she felt the fight go out of her as she sighed and limply accepted his proffered hand; resigning herself to whatever fate he had in store for her.

"Where are you taking me?" she asked in a small plaintive voice as Josef took her by the arm and started leading her out of the Warehouse.

"You'll find out when we get there, Beth"

"Josef?" What are you going to do to me" she asked next, her voice cracked with fear and emotion as she instinctively started to pull away from me.

"Beth" he replied gently, tightening his grip on her arm at the same time "I've already told you, I'm not going to hurt you", he paused for a moment and then quietly added, "I wouldn't do that to Mick"

"Mick? What's Mick got to do with this?

"Nothing, Beth. Just...come on. And stop asking questions" he snapped at her, rolling his eyes in frustration as he tugged at her arm to try and move her along a little faster.

Falling silent, Beth stepped up her pace a fraction and fell obediently in line with Josef as he continued to grip her arm firmly and walked her through the streets of Salzburg, towards the main train station of the city.

"Now am I allowed to ask where we're going, Josef" Beth demanded once he had collected their tickets and manoeuvred her along the platform towards the waiting train.

"Cologne" he replied matter of factly.

"What's in Cologne? Are we going to see Ryder?" she asked as Josef pushed her through the doors of the carriage and lead her up the aisle to their respective seats.

"You'll find out when we get there" Josef had started to say, as he shoved Beth into the seat closest to the window and sat down next to her; keeping his hand firmly on her arm to make sure she didn't do anything stupid like try and run away, before Beth cut him off and finished the sentence for him.

"-find out when I get there. Yes Josef, so you've already said" she huffed, shaking her head and staring moodily out of the window as the train began it's journey towards Cologne.

Josef pretended he hadn't heard her last remark and ignored her for most of the journey, occasionally nodding and mumbling a few short sentences in response when she pointed out some scenery of interest along the way.

"Hey. Look, a Squirrel" she called out excitedly at one point, her finger pointing towards the small furry creature that was perched on a fencepost alongside the railway tracks. "Squirrels are cute" she declared in girlish voice, batting her eyelashes and giggling mischievously before she leant over and whispered in Josef's ear, "a bit like you".

Josef was about to launch an indignant protest of "I am _not_ a Squirrel", when he realised what Beth was trying to do.

"You? Flirting with me?" Isn't going to work Beth" he told her flatly, as he tightened his hold on her arm once again and turned away, forcing her to go back to her silent, moody reverie of staring out the window and watching the world along the train tracks pass on by.

A few hours later the train pulled into the Cologne train station and Josef half dragged, half carried a rather, by that stage, moody and reluctant Beth out of the carriage and towards a waiting taxi; throwing a bundled up wad of bank notes towards the driver and instructing him on the quickest possible route to the address that was scrawled on the piece of paper he was handing to him.

They drove through the streets of Cologne; the taxi driver ignoring Josef's instructions, of course, and taking the longest possible route to the location Josef had given him; until they eventually arrived at the frontage of a small, but elegantly stylised in it's stone architecture, two storey building.

"Josef? What is this place? Where are we?" Beth asked, staring out the window of the taxi and looking up at the building in stark wonder.

"You're new home, Beth" he replied matter of factly as he stepped out of the taxi and walked around to her side door; opening it and offering her his hand to assist her out of the vehicle.

"My new what?"

"Home, Beth" he responded with a gracious smile, picturing the look on Mick's face when he told him what he had arranged for Beth, "Come on I'll show you inside"

She allowed Josef to take her by the hand and walk her up the steps towards the front entrance, shifting nervously from one foot to the other and fiddling with her hair as he bent down and retrieved a set of house keys that had been left under the door mat and used one of them to unlock the door.

The door finally open, Josef stepped to one side and ushered Beth inside; following closely behind her as she stepped through the doorway and into the house. Although the decor was far more simplistic and low key than Josef's own personal taste, the residence was still fully furnished and decorated in tasteful stylings of black leather, marble and chrome. It was also far more expensive than anything Beth could ever hope to afford on her own.

"Josef" she gasped as she stood inside the doorway and looked around the room in amazement, "this is beautiful, what is this place?"

"I told you. It's your new home Beth" he replied, quickly adding, "somewhere where you will be off the streets and safe and away from temptation"

"This? Is mine?" she looked at Josef with complete bewilderment and then hesitated as she took a step forward, almost as if she awaiting his permission for something.

"It's ok Beth, you can have a look around" he said with a stifled laugh "you are going to be living here after all."

"For the next three months, Beth" he called out to her as she started exploring the various rooms of the house, "the rent is payed up until then. There's a freezer being installed for you tomorrow" he paused and lowered his voice back to talking level as she returned to the foyer entrance of the lounge room "until then" he continued "there are bags of ice in the kitchen freezer".

"What about blood?" Beth started to ask, but Josef smiled and held up his hand to indicate he knew what her next question was going to be.

"Ryder will bring a supply around for you later this evening, in the meantime though there is a small bottle in the fridge" he replied, adding with a sly conspiratorial smile "courtesy of a certain real estate agent who knows when to not ask too many questions"

"Josef. I...I...I don't know what to say?" Beth told him, stammering the words slightly and feeling more than a little overwhelmed by this unforeseen act of generosity on his behalf.

"You don't have to say anything Beth" he responded simply "Just get yourself well again. For your sake and for Mick's" he added pointedly.

"Is Mick going to come and visit me? Sometime?" she asked quietly.

"No Beth, not for a while" Josef replied, placing his hand gently on her shoulder. "Not until you've gotten your life under control again. It upsets him too much to see you destroying yourself and I will not allow Mick to be upset. Not by you or anyone else; not anymore and not if I can help it. Do you understand?"

Beth smiled wanly and nodded in response, trying to understand what Josef was telling her but still feeling a little hurt by the knowledge that Mick wasn't going to be coming to visit her anytime soon.

"Well. If you don't have anymore questions for me" Josef said then, "I'll be off. Ryder will come by around seven pm with that supply of blood I mentioned before...Oh, and Beth?" he paused for a moment even though he wasn't actually waiting for a response "I've asked Ryder to keep an eye on you, so expect to see a lot more of him over the next few months"

He turned and reached for the front door knob, giving it a quick turn and then holding the door open before glancing back over his shoulder and looking at Beth from beneath two rather conspiratorially arched eyebrows, "Who knows" he said with the slightest hint of a wicked smile playing at the corners of his mouth, "perhaps you and Ryder might even get to like one another"

"Josef Kostan" Beth replied with mock incredulousness, folding her hands over her chest and trying to look serious as she fought to suppress a laugh at the mere idea of what he was suggesting, "are you trying to set me up with Ryder England?"

"Not at all Beth" Josef smiled and bowed graciously towards her. "I'm just teasing you. I'm the smart alec one, remember?"

"How could I possibly forget, Josef" she laughed in response as Josef smiled again and bade her farewell, telling her to "take care yourself Beth" before he walked out the door and closed it behind him.

"Josef. Wait" she called out after him, catching up with him as he reached the bottom of the front stairs.

He turned and looked at her, raising an eyebrow questioningly and silently prompting her to speak, as the taxi idled nearby.

"Why?" came the simple, single word question from her lips; the tone slightly bewildered as she grappled to understand the exact motivation for this act of generosity towards her, on Josef's behalf.

Josef sighed and looked skywards, shaking his head in momentary disbelief before he looked at Beth and asked her quite plainly "Why do you think Beth?"

She studied the expression on Josef's face, as he stared at her pointedly; almost like he was wordlessly trying to convey a message to her ("_come on girl, work it out already. Surely you're not that stupid_") and Josef watched as the veil of recognition finally fell over her eyes.

"You really do love him, don't you?" she said with a soft sigh and slow smile as the realisation of exactly how devoted Josef was to Mick finally dawned on her.

Josef was sorely tempted to shout "Hallelujah, it's about damn time" right at that very moment, but refrained himself from any such acts of rambunctiousness and responded instead with a quick smile and nod, telling Beth gently "Yes. Yes I do".

He turned away for from her for the final time, throwing a quick wave and a "goodbye Beth" over his shoulder as he headed towards the waiting vehicle.

"Josef?" she called out after him once again, waiting until Josef had turned his head and glanced over to look at her.

"Thank you" she said sincerely, as he looked at her and then nodded his head briefly; as if to say "you're welcome"; before he opened the door of the cab and began to climb in.

"And...Josef?" she hesitated for a moment, waiting again for Josef to lift his head and look at her one more time. "Take care of Mick, ok?"

Josef smiled at her warmly and replied "Always Beth. Always", then gave her a final nod before he slipped into the passenger seat of the taxi and peeled off a few hundred Deutschmark from the money clip in his wallet; handing the notes to the driver and instructing him to.

"Drive to Salzburg"

"Salzburg? That's a long way?" the driver remarked offhandedly, although not surprised at the length of the trip he'd just been asked to make, after all this wasn't exactly the first time a passenger had asked him to drive such a distance and so long as the fare was paid in full at the end he drove wherever he was told to drive. "What's in Salzburg" he asked , trying to make the usual driver passenger chit chat and not really expecting a response as he turned the car onto the road and headed towards the main freeway leading out of Cologne.

"My life" Josef responded quietly, smiling to himself as he stared out the window of the moving vehicle and shielded his eyes from the still beating rays of the sun.

"My. Life" he repeated silently to himself, as he traced Mick's initials on the window next to him and then rested his head against the glass; closing his eyes and drifting off into his own thoughts.


	12. Chapter 11

"Did you find her? How is she? Is she alright? What happened? What did you do? Where is she now?" Mick asked frantically, bombarding Josef with a myriad of questions as soon as he walked through the door.

"Hi honey, I'm home" Josef quipped, smirking at Mick sarcastically before proceeding to carry on a brief conversational soliloquy.

"You must be parched after running around outside in the sun all day, would you like a drink darling? Yes thank you I'd love one" Josef answered back to himself, looking pointedly at Mick as he did so.

Mick rolled his eyes and let out a little snort of laughter, then looked at Josef and smiled sheepishly.

"I'm sorry" he said, looking suitably chided as he walked over to Josef and wrapped his arms around his waist. "Would you like a drink?" he asked, kissing the side of Josef's face gently before cheekily adding, "darling".

"I would love a drink" he replied gratefully, then grinned at Mick, "thanks sweetie"

"You're more than welcome, honeybunch" Mick shot back at him sarcastically, as he quickly went to the kitchen to fetch Josef a drink.

"There we go, cutiepie" he said teasingly as he returned to Josef's side and handed him a glass of fresh blood.

"Alright. Alright, enough already" Josef declared with mock exasperation, holding up a hand as he took a quick sip of blood; almost spraying the contents of his mouth all over Mick when he saw Mick bat his eyelashes at him.

"Mick. Come on cut that out, you'll make me choke on my drink" he spluttered, trying to supress a laugh as he hurriedly drained the contents of his glass.

"What's wrong?" Mick asked in a mock serious tone, pretending to look crestfallen, "you don't like me calling you honeybunch cutie pie?"

Josef raised his eyes skywards and pretended to think for a moment.

"Somehow I don't think it really suits me" he replied eventually, screwing up his nose with faux distaste and then giving Mick a silly lopsided smile as he reached up and patted his face.

"Ok. How about I just call you hot stuff then?" Mick continued to tease, grabbing Josef's hand away from his face and bringing it to his lips; kissing his palm softly.

"Hot stuff? Oh no. Now you see _that_ is just _wrong_" Josef responded incredulously.

"Hey, you started it" Mick laughed, holding up a hand in an open palmed gesture of defensive.

"Yes. Yes I did" Josef rolled his eyes "and I'm very sorry I did now" he added with a laugh of his own, before he entwined his fingers through Mick's and looked at him softly,

"Come on" he said gently, starting to lead Mick up the stairs "I need to catch some time in the Freezer. You can join me and I'll tell you all about my adventures with Beth today".

"I just can't believe I was that blind" Beth exclaimed suddenly, slapping the palm of her hand down on the leather sofa that was part of her newly aquired residence.

True to Josef's word, Ryder had appeared on the doorstep a short time ago, a box ladened with bottles of blood in hand. Beth had politely ushered him inside and showed him to the kitchen; hovering uncertainly just inside the doorway as she watched him quickly unpack the box's contents and place them the fridge, before pouring some of the contents of one bottle into two glasses and offering her one of them.

"Come on, drink up" he had told her with a gracious smile, gently placing a hand on the small of her back, guiding her into the loungeroom and over to the two seater sofa that stood in the middle of the room, "you can come sit down here and tell me all about it".

"Ryder" she gasped almost angrily, as she watched him trying desperately not to laugh after what she had just said, "don't laugh at me, it's not funny"

"Oh Beth, come on" he replied teasingly, letting out a small splutter of laughter at the same time, "I'm sorry, but it is kind of funny. I mean you really would have to be blind not to see how Josef feels about Mick".

"Yes. Thank you for that Ryder" she responded darkly, "I can see that now"

"I'm sorry Beth" he told her gently, all tones of frivolity replaced by a note of sincere apology "I think we just tend to forget sometimes that stuff like this might not be as obvious to you as it is to everyone else"

"No Ryder, it hasn't been" she replied, shaking her head and looking at him sadly "I've made such a fool of myself" she blurted out, wiping at the tears spilling down her cheeks furiously with the heel of her hand.

"Beth, come on now" Ryder soothed, taking one of her hands in his.

"And Mick and Josef hate me" she continued to blubber almost hysterically.

"They don't hate you, Beth"

"They don't?" she asked in a plaintive voice, her sobs slowly starting to subside, turning to tiny little hiccups instead.

"No, of course they don't" Ryder told her with a small reassuring laugh. "They're worried about you, Mick especially" he added.

"Ok, so Mick doesn't hate me then" she waved one hand dismissively "but Josef has to, after what I did".

"What did you do Beth?" Ryder asked curiously.

"He didn't tell you?"

"No, Josef never mentioned anything to me"

"I stole something from him" she said sadly "I stole something from him" she repeated, "and I tried to sell it back to the to the exact same shop that Josef had originally bought it from. How _stupid_ is _that_, " she laughed in self derision through her tears.

"Umm yeah" Ryder laughed and gave Beth a little sideways look "that's pretty dumb, Beth"

"Gee, thanks Ryder" she snapped at him moodily, the tone of her voice filled with condescending sarcasm.

"Hey" he replied softly, squeezing her hand in his with gentle reassurance and tapping her lightly on the nose with the index finger of his free hand at the same time "I'm just teasing, ok?"

"Ok" Beth answered with a slightly reluctant nod, glancing at Ryder and giving him a strained little attempt at a smile.

"What did you steal from Josef then anyway?" Ryder asked next and stared at Beth in wide eyed amazement as she revealed exactly what she had found tucked away behind those books.

"Wow" was all he could think of to say once she had finished telling him the entire story.

"You didn't know anything about it then?" Beth asked.

"No. No I didn't" Ryder replied, still looking every so slightly blown away by Beth's revelation. "Josef hasn't said a word to me about any of this"

"So you do think that's what it is?" Beth questioned him with slow uncertainty

"Of course, what else would it be?" Ryder replied with a slightly scoffing tone of laughter, then saw the expression on Beth's face. "This is hard for you isn't it?" he asked her gently.

"Yeah. Yeah it is" she finally admitted, relief at being able to talk through her feelings tempered with sadness in her voice.

"Beth," Ryder began, still trying to keep the tone of his voice as gentle as possible "you know how much Josef loves Mick, you just said so yourself a few moments ago" Ryder paused and waited for Beth's gaze to meet his before he continued "and you know that feeling goes both ways".

"I know" Beth replied, nodding her head sadly "I know" she repeated "it's just that...it's just that" she waved her hand in a gesture of frustration as she struggled to find the right words to express what she was trying to say.

"It's just that this makes it final?" Ryder suggested, speaking the words Beth had been trying to speak.

"Exactly" she sighed softly, "It feels like the final declaration. That's it Beth it's all over, everything in your life has completely changed"

"You still love Mick, don't you?" Ryder probed gently.

"That's just it" Beth replied, throwing her hand up in a gesture of frustration, "I don't think I do, not anymore" she hesistated and then quickly added, "I don't even know if I ever truly did".

"But you feel like you've lost the opportunity to find that out for yourself"

"Yeah. Yeah exactly" she looked at Ryder and nodded her ahead in agreement, "Maybe if Mick and I had had the opportunity to actually have a relationship and then it hadn't worked out for us...well then, _you know_" she gestured with her hand to complete the sentence.

"Then you could have said, alright it wasn't meant to be?" Ryder finished for her and Beth nodded in agreement once again. "Well you know things do tend to happen for a reason, Beth" he told her simply, brushing a strand of hair from her face, "Obviously you and Mick just weren't meant to be together. The universe had other plans for the two of you."

"Yeah, well, the Universe sucks" Beth declared with a derisive laugh.

"You'll find someone else, Beth" Ryder said gently, still trying his best to reassure her.

"I think Josef's trying to set me up with you" she replied with a laugh, shaking her head in disbelief.

"With me?" Ryder blurted out, looking momentarily lost for words before pretending he was sizing Beth up "Well, I suppose you are kind of cute" he said teasingly, "and the whole 'Beth as a Vampire thing? Definitely an attraction"

"Oh really? Ryder England, are you coming on to me?" she asked in a teasing voice of her own.

"I am doing no such thing" Ryder started to say, but found his words cut off by the feel of Beth's lips against his own.

"Beth, listen" he said, breaking away from the kiss and looking at her apologetically, "I think I probably should go, ok? You're welcome to stay the night at my place though" he added, trying to keep the tone of his offer as casual and neutral as possible, "I mean, considering you don't have a Freezer installed yet and I have a spare one you can use"

Beth smiled in nonchalant agreement and then leant in and kissed him again.

"Beth" Ryder rebuked her advances gently once more, "that's not exactly the kind of 'staying the night' I had in mind"

"Why not?" she asked him with a slight shrug of her shoulders.

"_Why not?_", Ryder asked himself and found the only answer his mind could come up with in reply was "Why not indeed"

This time it was his turn to lean in and kiss Beth.

"_I really hope we don't both end up regretting this_" he thought to himself as his lips brushed softly against hers, before their mouths opened and they began to devour one another hungrily.

Josef awoke a few short hours later to find an empty space in the freezer next to him. Climbing out of the cold receptacle he quickly wrapped one of his expensive silk robes around his body and made his way downstairs.

"Evening, my beloved", Mick greeted him happily, as Josef walked into the kitchen, where Mick sat at the table sipping a glass of freshly poured blood.

"How long have you been up?" Josef asked, wrapping his arms around Mick's neck and leaning over to kiss him lovingly on the cheek.

"Not long" he replied, grabbing hold of Josef's arm and bring his hand around to his lips, gently kissing his fingers and nuzzling the palm of his hand against his face, "I just thought I'd let you sleep a little longer. I'm sorry if I woke you"

"You didn't, it's ok. I needed to get up anyway" Josef replied, extracting himself from Mick's embrace and walking over to the fridge to fetch a class of crimson refreshment himself, "What are you doing?" he asked, seeing the small touch screen computer on the table in front of Mick.

"Just checking the local cinema guides" Mick replied offhandedly "I thought we could catch a movie tonight, if you want to of course"

"Anything decent playing?" Josef asked and glanced over at the screen.

"There's a Jean Rollin's retrospective on at the Mercury" Mick replied, trying not to sound too over eager.

"Oh come on Mick, you know I find his films trite and boring" Josef started to reply and then saw the excited look on Mick's face that he was doing a very poor job of trying to suppress. "You really want to go see this don't you?" Josef laughed and then pretended to roll his eyes and look at Mick reluctantly "Oh alright then, we'll go and see the damn thing if you want Mick" he said finally.

"Thank you" Mick practically squealed and rushed over to hug Josef, almost knocking the glass of blood out of his hand in the process.

"Yeah ok, calm down" Josef laughed, holding Mick at arms length before giving him a quick kiss, "just let me go and get dressed first. What time does it start?"

"Nine 'o' clock" Mick called out after him, as Josef started to walk away, "Why don't you just go like that?" he added cheekily and laughed as Josef raised one hand over his shoulder and gave him the finger.

Fifteen minutes later Josef was showered and dressed, looking resplendent in an immaculately tailored suit and dress shirt.

"Are you ready to go?" he asked as he rejoined Mick downstairs.

"In a minute, just let me grab my jacket" Mick replied, quickly throwing his coat around his shoulders then walking over to Josef and wrapping his arms around his waist. "You look nice" he said, leaning in and kissing him softly on the lips.

"What? This old thing? Just something I threw on" Josef responded, trying to act casual.

"Josef Kostan, you never _just_ throw anything on" Mick half teased and then added "by the way, have I told you lately that I love you".

"Not for at least a day" Josef replied, pretending to look thoroughly hurt and disappointed.

"Well I do and I'll start saying it more often if you like"

"Once every five minutes should be sufficient" Josef replied teasingly.

"What? Only once every five minutes?" Mick replied back to him with faux incredulousness, "I was thinking more along the lines of once every five seconds"

"You're a real comedian tonight, aren't you Mick?" Josef quipped, shaking his head and letting out a snort of laughter at the same time.

"Why thank you, coming from the master of snark himself that's a real compliment" Mick replied with mocking sincerity.

"Yeah alright funny guy" Josef snorted, "come on we better get going. You don't want to miss the start of the film now do you?"

"The movie can wait" Mick responded, suddenly serious as he drew Josef closer to him and whispered in his ear, "thank you".

"What for?" Josef asked, as if he didn't already know.

"You know what for" Mick replied, looking at Josef pointedly.

"Oh you mean the thing with Beth" Josef said with a dismissive smile, "it was nothing"

"Well it wasn't nothing to me, Josef"

"I know" Josef replied gently, reaching up to tenderly brush a lock of hair from Mick's forehead "didn't I tell you I would take care of it?"

"You did"

"And have I ever let you down before?"

"Well there was this one time" Mick started to say, tongue in cheek, and then pretended to duck out of the way of an expected fist.

"Oh you're just in fine form tonight, Mick" Josef quipped once again and then took Mick by the hand and started to lead him out the door "come on you, let's get going. We really will miss the start of the film otherwise".

"Josef? What are you doing?" Mick hissed at him half way through the first feature, as he felt Josef's hand snake between his legs.

"Oh come on Mick, you know these movies bore me to tears" he replied seductively "I've got to amuse myself somehow" then quickly added a slightly sarcastic, "unless you have any objections of course?"

Mick rolled his eyes and let out a snort of laughter in response, as if to say "_what are you kidding me?_".

"Just be discrete about it, alright" he replied out loud, as he unzipped his pants and gently guided Josef's head down onto his lap.

Mick let out a small gasp of pleasure as Josef wrapped his lips around his cock and began to work his mouth and tongue expertly over his shaft. He sometimes forgot exactly how good Josef was at this, and as he sat and watched the never ending stream of images of cinematic Vampires in variously comprising positions on the screen in front of him, a single unbidden thought rose in his mind.

"Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all".

Letting out an almost predatory snarl, he grabbed Josef and pulled him up towards his face, smothering his face and neck with rabid kisses as he quickly started to undo the buttons on his shirt.

"This is your idea of being discrete is it, Mick?" Josef hissed at him as he tried to hold him off "this isn't the Batcave you know. We can't exactly just fuck in the middle of the aisle".

"Why not?" Mick was about to ask, but found himself interrupted mid thought by a bright flashlight being wielded in front of his face.

"Are you two gentlemen quite alright there are you" the cinema attendant asked pointedly.

"Yes, we're fine" Josef replied politely, digging his fingernails into Mick's leg to warn him to keep his head down so the Usher didn't see him completely Vamped out, "we were just leaving".

"I think that would probably be for the best" the attendant replied and waited for them both to get up and move into the aisle; Mick quickly adjusting himself back to a more respectable state, before escorting them out of the cinema.

"What the hell was that in there, Mick?" Josef started to ask when they'd gotten a few metres up the street, but his words were cut off when Mick grabbed him and almost slammed him up against a nearby wall; a deep growl of arousal emanating from his throat as his fingers began to fumble desperately with the buckle on Josef's belt.

"Mick, for fucksake" Josef commanded, trying to duck out of the way of Mick's mouth and fangs; as he began to almost overwhelm him with hot darting kisses and small love nips on the skin of his throat "we're about a five minute walk from our house, just wait until we get home"

A few seconds later, as Mick continued to almost attack him in the middle of the street, Josef was forced to literally sling Mick over his shoulder and carry him the rest of the way home; remarking to him along the way, "Remind me to take you to see a Jean Rollin's feature more often, if this is the sort of effect it has on you".

"You needing to amuse yourself by sucking my cock didn't exactly help, Josef" Mick half panted in response, just as Josef reached the front door of their house and began to fumble with the key in the lock.

"Well I didn't exactly hear any objections on your part, Mick" Josef snipped at him as he finally got the front door open and carried Mick inside; placing him back down on the ground and hurriedly shoving him part way up the stairs as he instructed him to "Go upstairs, I'll be up in a minute".

"No" Mick snarled in response, grabbing Josef and pulling him down on top of him in a tangled heap, "just fuck me right here"

'Mick. I need to get some lubricant first" Josef half snapped at him, trying in vain to scrabble away as Mick quickly shed the rest of his clothes and then pulled him back down on top him.

"Don't worry about it" he panted, quickly making light work of removing Josef's own garments.

"Mick, just relax for one moment would you" Josef replied in complete exasperation, "I don't want to hurt you"

"I don't care" Mick quickly shot back.

"Yeah, well. I do" Josef insisted, "Now can you just wait five damn seconds while I go and fetch some lubricant"

"Yeah, ok" Mick finally relented, letting go of Josef, "just hurry up about it" he called out after him, as Josef kicked off his pants the rest of the way and then moved off at Vamp speed.

"Was that fast enough for you then" Josef quipped sarcastically, as he returned exactly 4.8 seconds later brandishing a tube of lubricant with a slightly cheeky grin.

Not giving Mick time to respond, he quickly rejoined him on the stairs and crushed his lips against his, probing them open with his tongue as he almost hungrily began to devour his mouth.

"Fuck me" Mick whispered to him desperately a few moments later, clinging to Josef's neck as Josef broke away from the kiss momentarily to quickly apply some lubricant to the tip of his penis and around the entrance to Mick's arse.

"What do you think I'm about to do, Mick" Josef snarked at him, pushing his knees against his chest, "cook you dinner perhaps?"

"Vampires don't eat, Josef" Mick panted in response, as he wrapped his legs around Josef's waist and reached up to pull him down on top of him once more.

"Yes Mick, thank you for pointing out the blatantly obvious fault in my remark" Josef replied sarcastically, then whispered in Mick's ear salaciously, "just for that I'm going to fuck your brains loose".

"What the hell do you think I've been wanting you to do since the cinema, Josef" Mick snarled in reply and then let out a slight gasp of shock and pleasure as Josef reached between them and grabbed hold of his cock, pressing it against Mick's arse before quickly shoving the full length of himself inside him in one hard thrust.

"Oh shit" Mick muttered under his breath through gritted teeth as Josef began to fuck him at a furious pace, not bothering with any sort of slow build up. At this rate neither one of them was going to be able to last long and Mick dug his nails into the flesh of Josef's back and hung onto him for dear life as he felt the first stirrings of orgasm already welling up within him.

Moments later Josef felt Mick's body tense beneath him as he arched his back and cried out his release, snarling and growling as he sank his fangs sharply into Josef's neck and Josef felt the warmth of his fluid as it spread over his stomach in a quick succession of spurting pulsations.

It only took a few more quick thrusts before Josef sailed over the edge and joined Mick in a snarling climax of his own, biting deeply into the flesh of Mick's shoulder as he rode out the waves of pleasure that flowed through him. Waiting until the last pulsations of his climax had finally faded; he raised himself up on his arms and looked down at Mick with a wicked grin.

"I don't know about you" he told him with a small laugh, still breathing heavily as he tried to regulate his rate of breath, "but just personally, I think I've found a whole new appreciation for the talents of Jean Rollins as a director of Vampire cinema"

"You up for round two?" he bent his head back down to Mick's ear and whispered to him after that, feeling his cock beginning to harden once again; still buried deep inside Mick's body.

"Yeah, ok" Mick whispered back to him, slightly surprised and still half recovering from the last round.

"Good" Josef replied with a wicked laugh and began to thrust slowly in and out of him, "because I told you I was going to fuck your brains loose, now didn't I".

"Oh fuck" was the only thing Mick could even think to say in response.

Two weeks later, Josef answered a phone call one evening as Mick sat on the couch in the living room and sipped a glass of Scotch Whiskey with a chaser of blood.

"It's Beth", he said simply, handing the phone to Mick after engaging in a brief, polite conversation with her.  
Mick looked momentarily surprised, before he shrugged and took the phone from Josef's hand.

"Hey Beth, what's up?" he asked casually, as Josef stretched out on the couch next to him and laid his head in Mick's lap.

"Not much, I just thought I'd give you a call and say hello"

"Oh ok then" Mick replied with a small laugh, absentmindedly stroking Josef's hair at the same time, "well, hello"

"Hello" Beth responded with a laugh of her own.

"So, how are you?" Mick asked.

"Yeah, I'm good, really good actually. Ryder's been keeping me company, so that's helped" she paused for a moment. "Actually Mick that was the other reason I was ringing. Ryder has to be in Salzburg on business tomorrow and we were just wondering if the two of you would like to catch up, you know like go out somewhere or something"

"We? Beth"

"Yes Mick, _we_" Beth replied with a nervous laugh.

"Oh, ok then. So you and Ryder are seeing one another? When did that happen?"

"Yeah, I guess we kind of are" she responded, trying to keep the tone of her voice even, "for a couple of weeks now", she paused for a moment again and then asked "are you ok with that, Mick?"

"Of course I am" he replied quickly, "why wouldn't I be?"

"Oh I don't know, I just thought that...Oh look I don't know what I thought" she responded with a dismissive laugh.

"It's ok Beth, I think I understand", he told her and he did, they were both trying to re-establish the boundaries of their friendship. "Well, congratulations I guess and I am happy for you, for both of you" he added.

"Thanks Mick that means a lot to me that you would say that" she replied with genuine sincerity and gratitude, then asked again "So do you and Josef want to catch up and do something with us?"

"Yeah, sure. What did you have in mind?"

"Ryder said there's a Vamp friendly cafe in Salzburg, perhaps we could meet up there, have a drink or something?"

"Der Bluten Haus" Mick replied, completely mispronouncing the German name of The Blood House, as Josef snorted and tried not to laugh, "yeah I know it" he said, shaking his head and poking Josef playfully in the ribs at the same time. "What time do you want to meet there?"

"Tomorrow night, around eight?"

"Ok, sounds good to me. Hang on I'll just ask Josef"

"Is she clean?" Josef asked, after Mick had quickly finished explaining the possible plans for the following evening.

"I heard that and yes Josef, I'm clean" She shouted down the line, loud enough for him to hear.

"Ok then, sure why not" he replied nonchalantly, "sounds good to me".

"Beth?" Mick asked, returning to their phone conversation, "Did you hear that?

"Yeah I did, Mick" she replied simply, "So tomorrow night at eight, at Der Bluten Haus it is then"

"It's Der Bluten Haus" Josef called out, overhearing Beth mispronounce the name of it even worse than what Mick had done earlier.

"Yeah alright Mr, I can speak perfect German and you can't" Mick scoffed at him teasingly in response.

"Sorry about that Beth" Mick said with a slightly apologetic laugh, "he's just being his usual self"

"Trying to win the snarkiest Vampire of the year competition again is he?" Beth replied cheekily.

"Yeah, for about the 450th year running" Mick snorted in response. "Beth, listen" he said then, "I probably should get going. Tomorrow night sounds great, looking forward to it"

"Yeah me too" she replied gently, "You and Josef take care of yourselves, ok?"

"We will Beth and same to you and Ryder"

"Thanks Mick" she replied sincerely, "We will" she hesitated for a moment, "and Mick?" she added gently, "thank you".

"You're welcome Beth, what are friends for"

"_Friends_" she thought to herself with a soft smile, just before they said they're respective goodbyes and hung up the phone, "_exactly_"

"So" Mick said to Josef a few moments later, "Beth and Ryder"

"Yeah, Beth and Ryder" Josef repeated back to him, rolling over and looking up at Mick with a knowing smile.  
"What? You knew about this" Mick questioned, looking down at Josef with a slightly bewildered expression, "Why didn't you tell me about it?"

"Because Beth wanted to be the one to tell you herself," Josef replied with a slight shrug, "Ryder rang me last week when you weren't here and told me what was going on. Are you ok with it?" he asked, sitting up and looking at Mick with slight concern before resting his head on his shoulder.

"Oh don't you start too, Josef" Mick scoffed and rolled his eyes, before wrapping his arm around Josef's shoulder and kissing him softly on top of his head, "I'm fine with it, really"

"Yeah, well, I'm just making sure you're ok, Mick" Josef told him gently, leaning up and turning his head to give Mick a quick kiss on the side of his face.

"I know you are, Josef" Mick replied softly, "You're sweet".

"I am _not_ sweet, Mick" Josef huffed in response.

"Yes you are, you just don't like anyone else but me to know about it" Mick replied back to him with a teasing laugh.

"Well I _do_ have a reputation to uphold you know, Mick"

"Yes, yes of course you do, Josef" Mick responded with a tone of mockingly deep seriousness.

"Oh, shut up Mick" Josef chided him gently, before pulling his arm from around his shoulder and standing up, "I'm going to hit the Freezer", he said, "are you coming"

"In a minute, I just want to finish this drink first"

"Yeah well, don't take too long about it." Josef called out cheekily over his shoulder as he started to walk away, "I want to get in a workout with you before I go to sleep".

With that Mick quickly drained the rest of his drink in one gulp, and hurriedly followed Josef up the stairs.

"Josef" Mick said the following evening, looking at him almost pleadingly as they both dressed for their planned night out with Beth and Ryder, "please behave yourself tonight"

"Well ok Mick, I'll try" Josef replied with a teasing smile, "but you know I can't promise anything"

"Josef" Mick blurted at him.

"Mick, relax. I'm joking" Josef scoffed back at him, as he walked over to Mick and helped him with his tie.

"There" he said a few moments later, brushing the front of Mick's suit and straightening the collar on his shirt, "that's perfect, you look lovely, now let's go"

They walked through the dark lit streets of Salzburg; arms draped loosely around each others waists, until they came to the street where Der Bluten Haus cafe lay. Standing across the road from the small old fashioned building, Mick gave a brief nod and a wave to an already waiting Beth and Ryder and then grabbed Josef by the shoulders and turned him around to face him.

"Please promise me you will behave yourself tonight, Josef" he pleaded with him once again.

"Mick, will you just relax" Josef replied, rolling his eyes in exasperation before leaning in to give Mick a quick kiss, "I've already said I'd behave myself, now please let's just go and enjoy a nice evening with our friends"  
Taking Mick by the arm he lead him across the road and then stood back and watched as Mick and Beth played out a strange ritual greeting of nervous shuffles and uncertain hello's.

"They're like a pair of dogs circling one another and sniffing each others butts" Josef quipped to Ryder, as he stood next to him; prompting Mick to turn around and glare at him furiously.

"You just can't help yourself can you, Josef" he hissed at him, as he walked over to where Josef stood and grabbed him roughly by the arm.

"Mick, I told you to just relax" Josef hissed back at him through gritted teeth, shaking his arm from Mick's grip and shooting him a dark look that made Mick back down immediately.

"Ok, you two" Ryder said hurriedly, trying to defuse the situation, "shall we just go inside and get a table"

"Good idea" Beth replied with a nervous laugh.

They quickly moved inside and took a seat at one of the tables in the far corner of the room. Ryder ordered a round of drinks for them, Josef and Mick each ordering a glass of Blood Scotch whilst Beth politely declining to drink anything alcoholic and the four of them attempted to proceed to engage in what might be best described as, polite small talk.

Although the conversation was awkward and stilted at best, Mick noted to himself with some relief that at least Josef hadn't said or done anything to cause trouble. He was just about to relax completely when Josef opened his mouth and said,

"Oh Beth, by the way I forgot to ask you. How was it?"

"How was what, Josef?" she asked, looking at him and blinking nervously.

"Your first night sleeping in a Freezer, I just remembered you hadn't had a chance to do that up until just recently. Why? What did you think I meant? How was it for you and Ryder?" he asked and then added with a sly smile, "Ok then, well how was that too?"

"Josef" Mick blurted out in complete exasperation, burying his face in his hands and shaking his head in disbelief.

"What? Mick" Josef shot back at him, "this is what friends do, ok. They joke, they banter"

"But...." Mick started to say but was cut off by the sound of Beth's voice gently telling him,

"Josef's right Mick, this is what friends do" with that she turned towards Josef and looked him directly in the eye, "In answer to your question, Josef" she paused for a moment, allowing a wicked smile to play over her face, "it was fantastic. How was your first time with Mick?"

"I basically threw him across the floor of a nightclub, dragged him into a backroom and humped his leg" Josef said matter of factly, looking at Beth with a wicked grin of his own.

"How romantic" Beth quipped sarcastically, causing Mick to let out a splutter of laughter in response as Josef reached for his hand and gave him a winking smile to say, "_See, I told you that you just needed to relax a bit more_"

Mick looked at Josef and smiled sheepishly, shooting him a look that said "_yeah ok, you were right after all_". The ice finally broken, Mick visibly relaxed and the rest of the evening flowed well; Josef regaling Beth with amusing anecdotes of his life with Mick over the last 50 years, including the time, shortly after they had first gotten together, when Mick had decided to have a crisis of Vampire sexuality and insisted the both of them attend a Gay Pride rally.

"But Vampires don't have a set sexuality?" Beth asked him, looking at Josef quizzically, "It's more of a fluid type thing, isn't it? At least that's what I'm lead to believe?"

"Yes exactly, that's what I tried to tell him at the time" Josef replied with a laugh, as he shook his head and rolled his eyes at Mick in mock frustration.

"Hey. You had fun" Mick shot at him a little defensively, looking slightly sheepish and embarrassed at the same time.

"Well watching you prance around like some sort of immortal fairy queen of the damned, did have it's moments I suppose" Josef replied with a cheeky smile, before he leant over and kissed Mick on the cheek and admitted. "Yeah, ok, it was kind of fun. Besides I got to spend time with you, so that made it all the more worth it" he added gently, reaching over to run the fingers of one hand through Mick's hair and looking at him tenderly.

"Aww, look at the two of you," Beth almost gushed, "you're so cute together"

"Yes. Fifty years together and they're still so in love it's enough to make you vomit" Ryder quipped, looking over at Mick and Josef with a sarcastic grin plastered all over his face.

"Yeah, ok" Josef replied with a laugh, shaking his head and rolling his eyes in faux exasperation at the same time. "I think it's probably time we called it a night" he added in more polite tones after a brief pause, "you guys are welcome to come back to our place for a nightcap"

"Sounds good to me" Ryder replied and then turned to Beth and began to ask her what she wanted to do, before he noticed her hands were shaking and her head was lowered; as if she was frightened to raise her eyes towards something or someone in the room.

"Beth? Are you ok?" he asked her with obvious concern.

"Uh huh" she responded, nodding her head rapidly as she glanced at Ryder and then over at the man who had just walked through the door of the Cafe.

"Oh right, ok" Ryder said hurriedly, suddenly understanding what was going on.

Quickly getting to his feet, he helped Beth up out of her chair and wrapped one arm protectively around her shoulder as he began to lead her towards the exit; Mick and Josef both exchanging concerned looks before following them out the door.

"Beth? Are you ok, what happened?" Mick asked her worriedly when they had gotten about half way along the street.

"Nothing, Mick" she replied with an appreciative smile, grateful for his concern, "just someone back there that I didn't want to see"

"You're ok now though, aren't you?"

"I'm fine Mick, really" she replied a little hesitantly.

"Of course she's fine, she's with us" Josef announced suddenly and walked over to loop his arm through Beth's. "We're nearly there, ok. You'll be fine" he told her, reaching his other arm across his body and patting her hand reassuringly, "you can relax and have a nice glass of blood when you get to our place, ok?"  
"Ok" she replied, taking a deep breath and then smiling at Josef with a much more relaxed expression, "thanks".

With that, Josef gave her hand one more reassuring squeeze before he slipped his arm from hers and rejoined Mick, looking at him quizzically as Mick wrapped his arm around his waist and gave him a look of complete adoration.

"What?" he asked him with a crooked little smile.

"Nothing, just" Mick paused for a moment before whispering in Josef's ear, "I love you".

"What was that Mick?" Ryder called out over his shoulder, "speak up we can't hear you"

"I said I love him" Mick shouted back, loud enough for the whole neighbourhood to hear.

"Well duh!" Beth suddenly blurted out in response, as the four of them stood together in the middle of the street and cracked up laughing.

"You sly dog" Ryder told Josef a week later, as he sat across from him in a small dimly bar they had chosen to catch up at when Josef was in Cologne on a business trip, "why didn't you tell me?"

'Tell you what?" Josef replied, completely confused and looking back at Ryder with an expression that said "_I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about_"

"Beth told me what she stole from you, Josef" Ryder explained slowly, watching the realisation fall over Josef's face.

"Oh" was all Josef could think to say for a moment, fiddling with the coaster on the table nervously before he lowered his voice to a near whisper and said, "Please don't say anything to Mick, ok?"

"Josef. I've known about this for the past three weeks" Ryder scoffed with a small splutter of laughter, "I haven't told Mick yet, so what makes you think I would suddenly tell him now".

"I just don't want the surprise to be ruined" Josef replied with a shrug of pretend dismissiveness, as he fiddled nervously with the coaster in front of him.

"So when are you planning to do it then?" Ryder asked, seeing straight through Josef's faux attempt at adopting a casual attitude. "You're nervous about this, aren't you" he added, with a slight tone of knowing challenge in his voice.

"I don't know" Josef replied, trying to brush off Ryder's questions with a hurried wave of a hand, "and yes. Yes I am" he finally admitted after a few moments nervous hesitation.

"Why?" Ryder questioned matter of factly.

"Oh. I don't know" Josef replied with an exhaled sigh breath and a roll of his eyes up towards the ceiling above him. "I just...I was planning to do it a few weeks ago, moment was perfect and everything, and then something came up" he hurriedly explained.

"That something being Beth? I assume?"

"Yeah. Yeah exactly, by the way how's it going between the two of you" Josef asked with a breezy smile.

"It's going well, thank you, and _don't_ change the subject, Josef" Ryder responded back to him; looking at him pointedly as he did, before he lowered his expression and voice to a more understanding level and added, "You're worried you might have missed the moment, aren't you?"

"Yeah, I guess I am" Josef replied, still trying to act nonchalant whilst his hands continued to crumple and bend the now almost unrecognisable drinks coaster in front of him.

"Are you sure that's all you're worried about?" Ryder challenged him, "you sure you're not worried about what Mick's answer is going to be?"

"No" Josef snapped at him, a little too forcefully before he looked at Ryder, almost sheepishly, and said "Maybe".

"Josef" Ryder replied with an exasperated laugh, "Mick loves you, what do you _think_ his answer is going to be" he hesitated for a moment and gave Mick a slightly quizzical look, "What are you hoping he's going to say" he asked him.

"Well actually I'm really secretly hoping he's going to say no, Ryder" Josef snarked at him, the tone of his voice dripping with sarcasm, "you know, just because I really want to completely humiliate myself and waste eight thousand Euros on something that Mick is never going to wear"

"Josef, you know Mick's not going to say....", Ryder had been about to say "no", when he suddenly stopped and stared at Josef, completely stunned, and blurted out "Wait a minute. How much did you just say it cost you?"

"Eight thousand Euros" Josef replied dismissively, as if he couldn't believe anyone would make such a big deal over such a paltry sum of money.

"What? Was it handcrafted in the depths of the Peruvian Andes by a tribe of rare nomadic monkey's, highly skilled in the art of jewellery smithing and working with precious metals handed down to them by the Lord Almighty himself? Ryder quipped in disbelief.

"No" Josef huffed at him, shaking his head and letting out a slight chuckle at the same time, "it just happens to be a very nice piece. Besides, Ryder" he added, "the _Lord Almighty_ doesn't exist"

"Oh, but a tribe of rare nomadic jewellery smithing monkeys, living in the depths of the Peruvian Andes is a perfectly feasible scenario is it, Josef?" Ryder quickly shot at him.

"Touche" Josef shot back just as rapidly, raising both his glass and his eyebrows in an expression of sarcastic grace.

"Yeah, ok" Ryder responded with a laugh, rolling his eyes in mock exasperation, "let's get back to the topic at hand. I must say though, for that amount of money it'd _want_ to be a pretty damn nice piece. Wait", he said suddenly, looking at Josef with eager anticipation, "do you have it with you? Let me see it."

He watched as Josef hesitated for a few brief seconds before he nodded his head and reached into his pocket to extract a small velvet box, which he opened and placed on the table in front of Ryder, with a simple smile.

"You weren't joking, were you" Ryder said, almost in disbelief as he took the small piece of jewellery from out of it's casing and held it up to the light for a closer inspection, "this is absolutely beautiful, Josef", he told him, letting out a whistle of appreciation. "Wait, what's the inscription on it?" he asked after inspecting the piece more closely.

"It says, immortal beloved" Josef replied matter of factly, "it's in Latin".

"I didn't know you spoke Latin, Josef?" Ryder asked him, as he looked over the table at him with a slightly quizzical look.

"I used to be a Priest" he responded in the same matter of fact tone as he had used just before; as if he were merely stating something for the record, and then sat back and watched with some amusement as Ryder sprayed a mouthful of drink all over the table and began spluttering and gasping for breath.

"You what?" he blurted out a few moments later when he'd finished half choking.

"I used to be a Priest" Josef repeated nonchalantly.

"In all the years I've known you, Josef, you never told me that" Ryder said, shaking his head and looking at Josef in complete disbelief.

"I never told anyone. Even Mick didn't know about it until very recently"

"So what sort of Priest were you?" Ryder asked him with some intrigue.

"What sort of Priests do you think there were in Ireland in the 17th Century, Ryder" Josef scoffed at him, the tone of his voice clearly meant to convey the sentiment that "_yes, I do happen to think that was a ridiculously stupid question to ask_"

"Wait" Ryder blurted out in response once again, "you're Irish? What the hell else don't I know about you, Josef?" he added with lashings of yet more disbelief in his voice.

"Well you know that stablehand I used to have" Josef began to respond, letting the slightest hint of a wicked smile play over his features, "he wasn't really my stablehand"

"Oh well I already knew _that_, Josef" Ryder responded back to him with a dismissive wave of his hand, "nobody needs to check on the horses _that_ much. And I suppose your milk maid wasn't really your milk maid either" he added sarcastically.

"Well. Yes she was. In a manner of speaking" Josef replied, hinting at Ryder with a singularly arched eyebrow.

"Yeah, yeah, ok" Ryder told him, after he'd finished chuckling at Josef's obvious double entendre about _milk maids_; waving his hand in a gesture of quick dismission, "let's get back to the bombshell you've just suddenly decided to drop on me. Let me get this straight" he began slowly, "you...were a Priest...in Ireland...in the 17th century?"

"Yes. Ryder. I. Was" Josef replied, with an exaggerated pause between each word.

"Don't be a smart alec, Josef" Ryder half hissed at him, "this is a lot for me to take in, you know. I feel like I've just stepped into the twilight zone. And don't start humming the theme song, Josef. Or I will have to deck you" he demanded, as if he had already anticipated Josef's next move.

"Ok then. I'll make you a deal" Josef started to say.

"Oh yeah? What's that?"

"You don't make any stupid jokes or remarks about leprechauns and I won't hum the theme song to the twilight zone. Deal?" he finished, looking at Ryder pointedly.

"Deal" Ryder responded with a curt nod of his head.

"Ok then, you want to know about my life back then?" Josef said quiet matter of factly after their little exchange was over. "One, yes I was a Priest in the 17th century" he began, starting to count off the fingers of his hand; quickly adding at the same time, "the Ordo Praedictorum, the Domincan Order, to be precise" "Two" he continued on, counting off another finger, "yes I was born in Ireland, but you couldn't possibly have known that because I'd already lost my accent, after living in America for at least several decades, before I met you" he took a breath and counted off a third finger, "Three, my name back then was Father Luke, but I used the Latin form, Lucias. "Four" he hurried on, counting off the fourth finger of his hand, "I was turned by a Vampire named Gregor. Yes _that_ Gregor" he quickly explained, " who was posing as a traveling mystic and offered me ultimate knowledge of God" he took a quick breath and then counted off his fifth finger. "Five, the ultimate knowledge of God was that God did not exist, that's why I left the Church and Six" he paused, the unspoken words hanging in mid air, before he threw up his hands and blurted out; the words tumbling out of him in rapid fire succession "I am absolutely terrified that Mick is going to say no".

"Oh, Josef" Ryder said gently, looking over the table at him as Josef sat there and made piecemeal of the last remnants of what had once been the drink coaster in front of him, "he's _not_ going to say no. You know that"

"Maybe. I don't know" Josef replied nervously, waving a hand in front of his face.

"What do you mean, you _don't_ know?" Ryder scoffed, "Of course you know, Josef. He's going to say yes"

"Well what if he doesn't want to go through all that again" Josef replied in complete exasperation, as if he'd already decided that Mick wasn't going to say yes and there was absolutely no point in asking him.

"Go through what again?" Ryder started to ask and then stopped as he realised what Josef had meant by the words he had just spoken. "You're talking about Coraline, aren't you?"

Josef gave a brief nervous nod of his head in response and Ryder responded straight back to him by shaking his head and laughing incredulously. "Josef" he said, trying to suppress another incredulous laugh, "you can't possibly compare your relationship with Mick to his relationship with Coraline. _That_ is just being ridiculous"

"Maybe" Josef replied with an uncertain shrug.

"No. No, Josef. No _maybes_ about it" Ryder instructed him, waggling a finger in front of his face to emphasise his point. "You. Just ask him" with that he placed the small item of jewellery back in it's velvet box, closed the lid and stood up. Walking around the table he placed it back down on the table in front of Josef and then told him, "Lestat's once a decade Parisian Ball is coming up in a months time, you can ask him there. And if you don't ask him" he added, crossing his arms and staring at Josef defiantly, "I'll ask him for you" he paused, then bent down to give Josef a friendly peck on the cheek and added, "and _that_ really _will_ ruin the moment"

With that he said his goodbyes and left Josef to ponder his thoughts, as he sat at the table by himself and picked up the small velvet box in front of him; looking down at it and fidgeting with it nervously in his hand.

---------------------------------------------

One month had passed since Josef's conversation with Ryder in Cologne. Now he found himself standing in front of Mick, in a hotel in Paris, fidgeting nervously as Mick helped straighten the stiffened collar on his tuxedo.

"What's wrong with you tonight anyway, Josef?" Mick asked, "You're a bundle of nerves"

"Am I?" Josef replied, desperately trying to act nonchalant and failing miserably.

Mick shot him a questioning look of concern for a moment and then decided to drop the subject, if something was bothering Josef he was sure Josef would talk to him about it eventually.

"Well, whatever it is" he said simply, "I want us to have a nice time tonight, ok"

"Ok" Josef responded distractedly, "let's just get going ok"

With that he drapped his arm loosely around Mick's waist and lead him out the door. Moving swiftly together through the streets of Paris they headed towards Lestat's, Mick attempting to make conversation with Josef along the way and finding it roughly the equivalent of trying to get blood from a stone.

"Josef" Mick asked suddenly, grabbing his arm and stopping him just before they walked through the entrance to Lestat's own personal ballroom that he'd had purpose built back in the late 60's, "have I done something wrong?"

"What?" Josef looked confused for a moment and then saw the look of concern on Mick's face. He quickly ran through a list of excuses he could give as to why he was so nervous and distracted tonight, without telling Mick the truth; not yet anyway, "No. No of course not, I'm sorry I'm just a little nervous seeing Ryder and Beth again after...well, you know. The whole, hey guess what I used to be a Priest, thing" he reassured him gently. "Come on, let's just go inside, ok"

He took Mick by the hand and lead him through the doors into the opulent space inside. Lestat certainly wasn't known for his restraint in decorating and this was more than amply evident in the elaborate decorations, paper moons and stars and all manner of glitter and bauble, that adorned the walls and hung suspended from the ceilings of the oval shaped ballroom.

"Wow, I feel like I've just stepped into an Oscar Wilde fantasy" Josef remarked as he looked around the room.

"Oh but honey, those drapes just don't go with this furniture" Mick suddenly lisped, with a cheeky grin.

"You idiot" Josef blurted out, with a splutter of laughter.

"Made you laugh" Mick whispered to him.

Josef looked at Mick and smiled, "Yeah, yeah ok. You did" he admitted. "Come on I can see Beth and Ryder over there, we should go over and say hello"

Seeing Josef and Mick walking towards them, Beth quickly nudged Ryder gently in the ribs with an elbow and inclined her head towards their direction. Mick couldn't fail to notice the excited looks they exchanged and the way they both were looking at him and Josef and grinning like a pair of demented chesire cats.

"Evening?" he started a little uncertainly, not sure exactly why they were behaving as if there was some hugely amusing joke that he was yet to be let in on.

"Hey Mick. Hey Josef" Beth and Ryder greeted them a little too eagerly, eyes sparkling with some sort of secret knowledge that Mick felt he wasn't being made privy to.

"Hi Beth, Ryder" Josef tried to reply casually, but Mick still couldn't fail to notice yet another round of exchanged looks and glances between the three of them. He was beginning to feel like a spare cog in some sort of elaborate wheel.

"Does anyone want a drink?" he asked, a little annoyed at not being let in on whatever it was Ryder and Beth kept looking at Josef and grinning about.

"Will you guys just relax and stop with all the_ looks_" Josef hissed at the two of them; after Mick had left them alone to fetch a round of Blood Scotch for himself, Josef and Ryder and a glass of plain blood for Beth, "you'll give the whole thing away. He's already suspicious now thanks to you".

"Suspicious about what?" Mick asked, furrowing his brow as he rejoined the three of them and overheard the tail end of the conversation.

"Nothing" Josef replied, a little too sharply and mentally kicked himself. "It's a surprise ok" he quickly added, wrapping his arms around Mick's neck and giving him a brief kiss.

"Yeah, I'll say it's going to be a surprise" Ryder mumbled under his breath, as Josef shot him a dark look to warn him to be quiet and Mick just stood there looking utterly confused and growing more and more suspicious by the minute.

"Hey, look" Josef said suddenly, trying to distract Mick from the conversation at hand, as he pulled one of the paper moons off the wall and handed it to Mick with a soft smile "told you I'd give you the moon if you asked for it. Come on let's dance"

Not giving Mick time to respond he grabbed him by the hand and dragged him onto the dance floor, the paper moon still clutched in Mick's fingers as they draped their arms around each others necks and swayed together in time to the strains of Van Morrison's Moondance.

"Appropriate tune" Mick remarked with a small laugh, just as Josef drew him in closer and nuzzled his chin under his neck. Looking over the top of Josef's head he could see Beth and Ryder both still grinning maniacally and mouthing the words "good luck" as they stood there and flashed a thumbs up gesture towards them.

"Josef?" he asked suspiciously, pushing him away slightly and looking at him questioningly, "what's going on?"

"Nothing" Josef quickly replied and then changed the subject, "Do you like the moon I got you? I mean I know it's not the real thing, but I did go to a lot of trouble to get that. I could have snagged my finger on a staple pulling that off the wall for you. By the way did I ever tell you I was born in Ireland" he said hurriedly as he pulled Mick back towards him.

"Kiss me I'm Irish, hey Josef" Mick quipped with a slight snort of laughter, as he rolled his eyes.

"No...Well I mean, yes you can kiss me, but no I really was born in Ireland"

"You never told me that? I always thought you came from somewhere in Europe originally?" Mick replied with sudden interest and more than a little surprise.

"Well Europe is where I spent most of my immortal years, Mick. Ireland is just where I spent the mortal part of my life. I left soon after I was turned, haven't been back there since, lost the accent centuries ago" Josef responded casually.

"So can you still speak Irish?" Mick asked him curiously.

"I beg your pardon, Mick?" Josef half scoffed at him and rolled his eyes in faux exasperation to indicate just how stupid he thought the question was, "They do speak English in Ireland you know"

"Sorry" Mick mumbled sheepishly in response and then heard Josef saying something to him in a language he didn't understand. "Was that some sort of old Irish language or something?" he asked him, somewhat bemused.

"Gaelic, actually" Josef replied matter of factly.

"Wow, you're just full of surprises aren't you, Josef" Mick responded back to him with a laugh, as he shook his head in disbelief.

"Yes. Yes I am" Josef replied with casual distraction and then reached into his pocket and pulled out the small velvet box containing the ring he had bought for Mick several weeks earlier. Flicking it open with a soft click of his fingers, he presented it to Mick with a nervous smile and then spoke two simple words that left Mick completely floored.

"Marry Me"

Mick stared at him; mouth open with complete shock and stunned surprise, for several seconds, unable to speak let alone give anything like the response that Josef seemed to be anxiously awaiting.

"Don't say anything, just say yes" he heard Josef say to him next, the words coming out a little hurriedly as he took a sharp breath and swallowed nervously.

"Josef" Mick pointed out, with the slightest sniff of a laugh in his voice, once he'd finally found his voice, "If I say yes, that is saying something".

Josef let out a huff of breath and rolled his eyes, as if to say "_yeah ok smart guy, you know what I meant_".

"Do it properly" he heard Mick say next, as he stepped back, folded his arms across his chest and looked at Josef with a challenging smile.

"Mick, come on." Josef gritted at him in exasperation.

"You want an answer?" Mick asked, grinning at Josef cheekily. "Then do it properly"

"You're really enjoying this aren't you, Mick?"

"Absolutely" Mick replied with a wicked glint in his eyes, "besides" he added casually, "it's not like you haven't been down on your knees in front of me before, Josef"

"Mick" Josef blurted out in disbelief, "I'm proposing marriage to you and your talking about a blow job?"

"Ok" Mick said, relenting and holding up a hand in front of him, "I'm sorry. I've just never had someone propose to me before, I don't really know how I'm supposed to act right now. Besides completely stunned and amazed I mean" he said looking at Josef with a gentle apologetic smile, "I'd still like you to do it properly though. Please" he added, looking at Josef and smiling almost pleadingly.

"Oh for the love of..."Josef half reluctantly snorted, after a few moments spent looking at Mick's hang dog expression, "Ok then"

He looked at Mick one last time, shaking his head and rolling his eyes up towards the ceiling, and then went down and one day and made an exagerrated show of clearing his throat; as he held the ring, in it's small velvet box, in front of Mick and began to speak.

"Mick St John" he started, speaking the words as slowly and clearly as possible, "whom I truly truly love, but right now would dearly love to tear apart with my bare hands for making me actually do this" he quickly side added; looking up at Mick and smirking at him sarcastically, before he took a breath and spoke the next words with complete sincerity, "will you marry me?"

Mick looked down at him, a wide smile breaking over his face and then spoke the single word that Josef had almost half prayed he would hear.

"Yes"

"Oh thank god for that" Josef suddenly blurted out in a rush of breath, quickly slipping the ring on Mick's finger and then practically leaping up to gather him up in a tight embrace of relief and joy as the entire room erupted in an almighty cheer.

"I think we had an audience" Mick whispered to Josef, slightly embarrassed.

"Yeah. Well whose fault was that, Mick"

"Yeah, ok." Mick admitted with a sheepish smile.

"Congratulations you two" they heard Beth's voice telling them, sincerely, as both her and Ryder came over to join them.

"Told you so" Ryder leant over and remarked to Josef, with a know it all grin on his face, at the same time.

"Yeah, ok. " Josef rolled his eyes in mock exasperation and then gave Ryder a slightly embarrassed smile, "you were right"

"Congratulations." Ryder said then, looking at Josef and speaking sincerely this time "The both of you." he added, looking over at Mick and smiling warmly as he placed a hand each on their shoulders and gave them a quick friendly squeeze, before stepping back and clapping his hands together in a gesture of delight. "Looks like we've got something to celebrate" he said excitedly, "I think this calls for Champagne all round"

"I agree, absolutely." Beth cheerfully concurred with him "Definitely a champagne moment"

"Champagne it is then" Josef said, looking at Mick happily.

"Mick, you wanna come give me a hand carrying a couple of bottles?" Ryder turned around and asked, as he started to head off to fetch the bubbly in anticipation of the night's celebrations to come.

"Wait", Josef called out after, as Mick began to slowly saunter away, "you forgot this", he said softly, picking the paper moon that had slipped out of Mick's hand before, up off the floor. "If you asked me for this, I would try to find someway to get it for you" he told Mick, speaking earnestly as he looked at Mick with complete adoration and handed him the decoration, "this and so much more. I love you"

"I know you do" Mick replied simply, wrapping his arms around Josef's neck and drawing him in for a gentle embrace, "and you don't have to promise me the Moon, Josef. Just promise me eternity with you and I'll be happy".

"Oh well now that, I can do" Josef responded with a cheerful laugh, as he reached up and drew Mick's head down towards his and crushed his mouth against his lips.


End file.
